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THE   PSALMS  AS   LITURGIES 

BEING  THE  PADDOCK  LECTURES 
FOR  1920 


•The^^TK'o. 


THE    MACMILLAN    COMPANY 

NEW  YORK    •    BOSTON    •    CHICAGO   •    DALLAS 
ATLANTA    •    SAN  FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Limited 

LONDON  •  BOMBAY  •  CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  Ltd. 

TORONTO 


The  Psalms  as  Liturgies 

Being  the 
Paddock  Lectures 
for 
1920  !. 


V 


JOHN  P.  PETERS,  Ph.  D.,  Sc.D.,  D.D. 

Rector  Emeritus  of  Saint  Michael's  Church,  New  York; 

Professor  of  New  Testament  Languages  and 

Interpretation  in  the  University 

of  the  South 


Nm  fork 
THE  MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

1922 

All  rights  reserved 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


Copyright,  1922, 
By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 

Set  up  and  printed.    Published  January,  1922 


FERRIS  PRINTING  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK 


CONTENTS 

Page 
Lecture     I.     Introductory— The  Origin,  Purpose  and  Devel- 
opment of  the  Psalter   1 

Lecture    IL     The  Ancient  Psalm  Book  of  Jerusalem 88 

Lecture  III.     The  Penitentials  of  Shechem  and  the  Davidic 

Psalter    210 

Lecture  IV.     The  Psalms  of  Dan  and  Bethel 273 

Lecture    V.     The  New  Temple  and  Its  Liturgies 358 

Lecture  VI.     The  Pilgrims  and  Afterwards 443 


THE    PSALMS  AS   LITURGIES 

BEING  THE  PADDOCK  LECTURES 
FOR  1920 


THE    PSALiMS   AS    LITURGIES 

VOLUME  I 

Lecture  L     Introductory — The  Origin,  Purpose  and  Develop- 
ment of  the  Psalter. 

Title  —  Temple  Liturgies  —  The  Synagogue  —  Number  of 
Psalms — Books  of  Psalms — Collections  of  Psalms — Minor 
Collections — Growth  of  the  Psalter — Divine  Names  in  the 
Psalter — Authorship  and  Occasion  of  Psalter — Origin  of 
Psalmody^ — Poetical  Form — Musical  Notes — Ritual  Notes — 
Music  and  Musical  Instruments — Dancing  and  Singing — 
Tunes — Date  of  the  Psalter — The  Psalms  in  the  Jewish 
Church — The  Psalms  in  the  Christian  Church — The  Psalter 
Text — Apologia. 

Title.  The  title  Psalms  or  Psalter,  which  we  commonly  use 
for  this  collection  of  liturgical  hymns,  is  taken  from  the  Greek 
translation  of  the  Bible  (LXX),  and  is  the  Greek  translation 
of  the  Hebrew  word  mizmor,  a  common  title  of  Psalms  in  the 
first  and  second  books  of  the  Psalter,  designating  a  song  to  be 
sung  to  a  musical  accompaniment,  apparently  of  stringed  instru- 
ments. The  title  of  the  book  of  Psalms  in  the  Hebrew  Bible 
is  tchillim,  meaning  sacrificial  praise  songs,  a  word  from  the  same 
root  as  hallel,  familiar  to  us  in  the  form  Halleluiah.  Tehillim 
is  a  masculine  plural  of  the  feminine  noun  tehillah,  a  word  of 
frequent  occurrence  in  the  Psalter,  and  the  title  of  Psalms  MS- 
ISO;  that  is,  of  the  last  group  of  Psalms  in  the  Psalter.  In  con- 
nection with  sacrifice  or  even  of  the  killing  of  a  gazelle,  among 
the  ancient  Arabs,  there  was  a  cry  of  praise  called  tahlil,  from 
the  verb  hillal,  equivalent  to  the  Hebrew  hallel,  to  praise.  The 
same  use  prevailed  among  the  Hebrews  from  the  earliest  time 
and  was  apparently  part  of  the  primitive  Semitic  use,  the  shout 
of  praise  forming  an  essential  part  of  the  ritual  of  sacrifice. 
There  was  a  time  of  silence  awaiting  the  coming  of  the  deity, 
as  the  victim  was  prepared  for  sacrifice,  and  then  the  tahlil 
(Hebrew  tehillah),  or  burst  of  praise  as  the  sacrificial  fire  was 
lighted,  as  set  forth  in  detail  in  2  Chron.  7  ^"^.^ 


^  See  further  under  todhah. 


2  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

We  have  in  Ecclesiasticus,  in  the  passage  on  the  high  priest 
Simeon  {50'^^^),  written  somewhere  between  280  and  180  B.  C, 
a  description  of  the  use  and  place  of  psahnody  in  the  sacrificial 
service  of  the  Day  of  Atonement.  Having  received  from  the 
priests  the  sacrificial  portions,  standing  by  the  altar  hearth,  the 
priests  about  him  with  the  Lord's  fire  offering  in  their  hands,  and 
the  wood  being  arranged  in  order  and  all  made  ready  to  apply 
the  fire,  the  high  priest  stretches  out  his  hand  to  the  cup  and 
pours  out  at  the  foot  of  the  altar  the  libation  of  wine.  Then  the 
sons  of  Aaron  sounded  the  trumpets  (Num.  10^°),  making  a 
great  noise  to  call  the  Most  High  to  the  feast,  the  fire  was 
applied,  and  "all  flesh  hasted  together  and  fell  upon  their  faces 
to  the  earth  to  worship  before  the  Most  High,  before  the  Holy 
One  of  Israel,"  raising  the  tehillah,  "and  the  sound  of  the  song 
was  heard,  and  over  the  multitude  they  made  sweet  melody ; 
and  all  the  people  of  the  land  cried  in  prayer  before  the  Mer- 
ciful," until  the  service  of  sacrifice  at  the  altar  was  completed. 
Then  the  high  priest*  "went  down  and  lifted  up  his  hands 
upon  the  whole  congregation  of  Israel,  and  the  blessing  of  the 
Lord  was  upon  his  lips"  (Num.  6^^*^),  as  he  put  the  name 
of  Yahaweh  upon  the  congregation,  which  he  only  might  use. 
And  after  they  had  arisen  they  again  fell  down,  and  the  high 
priest  chanted  over  them  his  shalom   (peace)  :^ 

"Now  bless  the  God  of  all, 
Who  doeth  wondrously  on  earth, 
Who  exalteth  man  from  the  womb, 
And  dealeth  with  him  according  to  His  will. 
May  He  grant  you  wisdom  of  heart, 
And  may  there  be  peace  among  you." 

To  which  they  responded: 

"May  His  mercy  be  established  with  Simeon, 
And  may  He  raise  up  for  him  the  covenant  of  Phinehas; 
May  his  line  never  be  cut  off; 
And  his  seed  be  as  the  days  of  heaven.'" 

This  is  the  developed  use  of  the  later  period.  The  earlier 
use  was  much  more  primitive,  but  the  principle  was  the  same 
in  both. 


'  Cf.  1  Mac.  3",  r. 

"  From  which  Luther  took  his  "Nun  danket  alle  Gott." 
*  Cf.  for  text  used  Charles,  Apocryplia  and  Pesudepigrapha  of  the  Old 
Testament. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  3 

Temple  Liturgies.  The  halleluiah  psalms  of  the  Psalter  are 
all  of  them  essentially  and  primarily  sacrificial  hymns,  written 
for  that  purpose,  and  the  collection  of  halleluiahs  with  which 
the  Psalter  closes  is,  as  already  stated,  entitled  in  the  Hebrew 
a  tchillah,  or  sacrificial  praise  song.  The  use  of  this  name  in 
the  plural  as  the  title  of  the  whole  Psalter  is  evidence  that 
when  it  was  so  applied  the  various  collections  composing  our 
book  of  Psalms  were  regarded  as  sacrificial,  liturgical  hymns. 
The  ritual  sacrificial  use  of  a  number  of  Psalms  is  indicated 
by  their  headings  (30,  38,  70,  88,  100,  102.  perhaps,  also, 
8,  9,  22,  32)  or  by  their  first  lines  (105-107,  118,  136,  138,  145). 
This  does  not  prove  that  these  Psalms  were  written  for  the 
uses  indicated  in  the  headings,  but  it  is  evidence  that  they 
were  so  used,  and  it  is  further  evidence  that  they  were  so 
used  at  the  time  the  present  collection  was   completed. 

Some  of  the  Psalms  contain  in  themselves  evidence  of  the 
particular  purpose  for  which  they  were  used,  and  this  is  fre- 
quently evidence  also  of  the  purpose  for  which  they  were 
composed,  and  that  they  were  composed  for  ritual  purposes 
(so  the  halleluiahs  and  tehillahs,  111-117,  135,  145-150,  and 
the  thank  offering  hymns,  100,  105-107.  118,  136,  138,  indi- 
cated as  such  by  their  content  as  by  their  titles).  Psalms 
3  and  4  were  for  the  regular  morning  and  evening  sacrifice; 
6  and  7,  liturgies  to  be  used  in  connection  with  sin  or 
guilt  offerings  (for  the  ritual  of  which  cf.  Lv.  *^),  and  for  a 
similar  purpose,  or  for  thank  offerings  in  connection  with 
deliverance  from  evil,  12,  14,  17,  32,  and  many  more,  for  this 
general  category  is  numerous.  16  and  30  were  specifically  for 
deliverance  from  sickness;  18  was  a  royal  sacrificial  triumph 
hvmn;  20.  for  the  sacrifice  before  battle,  and  21,  for  the  thank 
offering  after  battle.  24  is  a  liturgy  for  the  return  of  the 
Ark,  and  68,  an  elaborate  ritual  of  procession  of  the  Ark.  61 
is  for  the  royal  vows  or  free-will  offerings,  65,  for  the  offering 
of  the  .irst  fruits,  and  67,  a  thank  offering  for  a  bountiful  harvest. 
Vow,  peace-offerings,  free-will  and  thank  offerings  of  various 
kinds  are  indicated  in  a  number  of  Psalms. 

The  Synagogue,  While  the  title  Tehillim  suggests  primarily  a 
ccllection  of  hymns  for  the  sacrificial  ritual,  and  while  many 
h^mns  of  the  Psalter  are  indicated  by  their  headings  or 
ty  internal  evidence  as  meant  for  use  in  the  Temple  ritual, 
there  are  others  which  are  specifically  indicated  for  use  on 
bther    occasions.      Some    of    these    would    seem    to    have    been 

( 


4  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

special  liturgies  for  festivals  in  the  community  life.  Such 
notably  is  45,  designated  in  its  heading,  as  by  its  contents,  a 
wedding  hymn.  The  al-tashheth,  or  "destroy  not"  psalms,  57-59, 
75,  were  connected  in  some  way  with  the  vintage,  and  it 
may  not  be  fantastical  to  suppose  that  the  men  who  plucked 
"washing  their  feet  in  the  blood  of  the  wicked,"  the  wine 
or  trod  the  grapes  were  in  pretence  dealing  with  their  foes, 
that  is  red,  whose  dregs  their  foes  shall  drain.  78  is  for 
such  instruction  as  is  ordered  in  Deut.  11  from  a  father  to 
his  children  on  an  occasion  like  the  Passover.  Psalms  120-134 
were  for  use  by  pilgrims  going  up  to  Jerusalem  from  the  Cap- 
tivity for  the  feasts. 

Apparently  also  the  Synagogue  made  itself  felt  in  the  Psalter, 
and  we  have  a  number  of  Psalms  whose  use  was  especially 
instructional.  Of  such  is  the  great  Praise  of  the  Law,  Psalm 
119.  The  alphabetic  acrostic  form  in  this  and  other  cases 
was  for  mnemonic  purposes,  similar  in  intent  to  the  beads 
in  the  rosaries  used  in  various  religions.  The  appearance  of 
this  mnemonic  device  in  Psalms  of  the  earlier  books  (9,  10,  34, 
37)  suggests  that  even  at  a  relatively  early  period  Psalms  were 
composed  and  used  for  personal  and  group  purposes  quite  un- 
connected with  sacrifice.  They  were  liturgies,  however,  although 
not  part  of  the  regular  sacrificial  ritual.  For  that  reason  they 
were  included  in  the  Psalter.* 

The  Psalter  may  be  described,  then,  as  a  collection  of  liturgi- 
cal poems  or  hymns,  primarily  for  the  sacrificial  ritual,  but  coa- 
taining  also  hymns  for  use  on  other  occasions  and  for  other 
purposes. 

Number  of  Psalms.     According  to  ancient  tradition  there 
were   150  psalms,  a  number  reached  variously  in  th. 
and  the  Greek  translations  by  division  or  conjunction  ■ 
so  that  the  numbering  often  dovis  not  agree,    flowc  . 
reached,  the  traditional  number  150  was  fixed  before  i 
lation  of  the  Psalms  into  Greek.     This  is  shown  by  the 
of   a   Psalm   appended   to  the   Greek    (LXX)    version: 
is    the   psalm   self-written   of    David    and    outside   the 
when  he  fought  single-handed  with  Goliath";  an  eviden       .  .>u 
of    the   persistence    of    psalm    making   after    the    complet   i:j   of 
the  Psalter.     Of  this  we  have  further  evidence  in  the  so  c:illod 


*  So  among  the  Babylonian  (Semitic)  liturgies  we  find  songs  for  artisans, 
shepherds,  lovers,  and  a  series  entitled  "Son  has  recounted  to  soi." 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  5 

Psalter  of  Solomon,  a  Pharisaic  collection  of  psalms  from  the 
latter  half  of  the  first  century  before  Christ.  In  the  New  Tes- 
tament, moreover,  we  have  the  Magnificat  and  the  Nunc  Dimittis, 
composed  on  the  same  model.  We  have,  furthermore,  in 
the  books  of  Deuteronomy,  Samuel,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Jonah 
and  Habakkuk,  psalms  identical  in  their  method  of  composition 
with  those  contained  in  the  Psalter,  of  which  that  in  Habakkuk 
is  provided  with  musical  notations  and  was  evidently  used 
for  liturgical  purposes.  It  is  evident  that  our  book  of  Psalms 
is  a  collection  made  out  of  a  larger  literature  of  such  psalms, 
and  that  at  a  certain  time  this  collection  became  rigid  in  the 
number  of  150  psalms,  so  that  no  more  could  be  added,  although 
similar  psalms  continued  to  be  composed. 

Books  of  Psalms.  The  Psalms  are  divided  into  five  books, 
an  artificial  division  to  correspond  with  the  five  books  of  the  Law, 
as  follows :  I,  Psalms  1-41 ;  II,  42-72 ;  III,  73-89 ;  IV,  90-106 ;  V, 
107-150.  These  books  are  indicated  by  headings,  as  also  by  dox- 
ologies  at  the  close  of  the  separate  books,  viz.  Book  I,  41  ";  II, 
72  ^«'  " ;  III,  89  =2 ;  IV,  106  *^  These  are  not  part  of  the  Psalms 
with  which  they  are  connected,  but  doxologies  belonging  to  the 
different  books  as  a  whole.  There  is  no  separate  doxology 
for  the  fifth  book.  That  this  arrangement  is  artificial  and 
relatively  late  is  shown  by  the  point  of  division  between  the 
fourth  and  fifth  books,  separating  Psalms  which  are  part  of 
the  same  collection.  The  division  was  apparently  made  by 
counting  off  from  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  book  as  many 
Psalms  as  there  were  in  the  third  book,  this  mechanical  method 
having  the  above  stated  infelicitous  result.  That  the  present 
five-fold  division  was  in  existence  when  the  book  of  Chronicles 
was  composed  is  shown  by  the  citation  of  Psalm  106  with 
the  doxology  in  I  Chron.   16  ^^. 

Collections  of  Psalms.  Besides  the  division  into  books,  the 
Psalms  are  for  the  most  part  indicated  by  their  titles  as  belong- 
ing to  collections  which  antedate  the  formation  of  the  books. 
Psalms  3-41  all  bear  the  title  "of  David,"  with  the  exception 
of  10  and  33,  which  are  properly  parts  of  the  preceding  Psalms, 
and  constitute  a  Psalter  known  as  "of   David." 

Psalms  51-72  are  designated  by  a  colophon  at  the  close  of 
Psalm  72  as  "Prayers  of  David  the  son  of  Jesse."  In  addition, 
all  the  Psalms  in  this  collection,  except  66,  67,  71  (which  was 
added  to  70),  and  72  (which  bears  the  name  of  Solomon), 
are  ascribed   by   special   title   to   David. 


6  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Psalms  42-49  are  designated  by  the  title  prefixed  to  the 
various  Psalms  as  "of  the  Sons  of  Korah" ;  only  43  having  no 
such  heading,  because  properly  it  is  a  part  of  Psalm  42. 
Psalms  50  and  73-83  are  entitled  "of  Asaph."  Psalms  84-89 
constitute  a   supplementary   Korah  collection. 

Psalms  90-99  are  designated  by  a  title  prefixed  to  90  as 
"Prayer  of  Moses."  Similarly  103-107  are  ascribed  by  a  single 
title  prefixed  to  the  whole  to  David.  Psalms  111-117  consti- 
tute a  Hallel,  each  Psalm  beginning  with  hallelu-yah.  119  is 
a  collection  of  22  Psalms  constituting  one  great  alphabetic 
acrostic  of  the  praise  of  the  Law.  120-134,  the  "Songs  of 
Degrees,"  is  a  collection  of  pilgrim  songs  of  the  "Captivity" 
going  up  from  Babylonia  to  Jerusalem  to  the  feasts.  138-144 
is  another  David  collection;  and  145-150,  as  already  noted, 
is  entitled  tehillah,  and  might  be  designated  as  a  great  hallelu- 
yah  chorus. 

Minor  Collections.  Within  these  larger  collections  some 
smaller  collections  may  perhaps  be  recognized,  marked  oft  by 
special  headings;  so  Psalms  4-6,  8-14,  18-22,  31,  36,  39-41  in 
the  first  book,  and  in  general  the  Psalms  of  the  Sons  of  Korah 
and  the  Prayers  of  David  the  son  of  Jesse,  in  the  second  book 
are  marked  as  "of  the  chief  musician."  52-55  is  a  collection  of 
maskils,  56-60,  of  mik tarns,  and  57-59,  of  al-tashheths. 

Growth  of  the  Psalter.  An  evidence  of  the  growth  of  the 
Psalter  and  the  method  of  its  growth  is  the  existence  of  different 
recensions  of  the  same  Psalm  in  diflferent  collections :  so  14  =  53 ; 
40,  vv,  13-17  =  70;  31,  vv.  1-3  =  71,  vv.  1-3.  In  the  last  case  two 
different  Psalms  have  been  developed  out  of  the  same  liturgical 
formula;  which  throws  light  on  the  methods  of  Psalm  com- 
position. Besides  these  difiFerent  recensions  of  the  same 
Psalms  we  find  also  in  the  later  collections  Psalms  composed 
out  of  or  referring  to  other  Psalms:  so  108  vv.  1-5  =  57, 
w.  7-11;  108  vv.  6-13  =  60,  vv.  5-12.  Psalm  135  is  prac- 
tically composed  of  citations  from  other  Psalms,  as  is  the 
greater  part  of  144.  In  these  cases  it  is  always  a  Psalm 
earlier  in  the  Psalter  which  is  made  use  of  in  the  composition 
of  the  later  Psalm ;  and  similarly,  in  the  case  of  references 
or  allusions  to  other  Psalms,  it  is  invariably  the  latter  Psalms 
which  cite  the  former,  never  the  reverse.  ^ 


1  Psalm  96  cites  24,  47,  48;  97  cites  30,  32;  102  cites  69;  135  uses  115 
and  134;  143  is  a  Mosaic  of  earlier  Psalms,  27,  28,  69,  84;  147  makes  use  of 
33  and  104. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  7 

There  is  somewhat  similar  evidence  of  growth  within  the 
collections,  a  number  of  collections  containing  at  the  close  one 
or  more  Psalms  which  are  divergent  from  their  predecessors 
in  various  ways.  Sometimes  these  appended  Psalms  lack  the 
liturgical  or  other  annotations  used  with  the  preceding,  as  in 
the  collection  known  as  Prayers  of  David,  Son  of  Jesse 
(51-72).  Sometimes  they  are  different  in  tone,  method  or 
spirit,  from  the  preceding,  as  in  the  Songs  of  Degrees  (120- 
134).  The  most  striking  instance  of  such  appended  Psalms, 
however,  is  the  appendix  (84-89)  to  the  Psalter  of  the 
Sons  of  Korah  (42-49),  where  the  added  Psalms  are  not 
inserted  in  or  added  to  the  already  existing  collection,  but 
constitute  a  supplement,  quite  separate  from  the  original  col- 
lection. In  this  case  the  divergence  shows  itself  among 
other  things  in  a  difference  in  the  use  of  the  divine  name, 
the  original  collection  using  Elohim,  the  appendix,  Yahaweh. 
Similarly  in  the  late  Davidic  Psalter  (138-144)  the  concluding 
Psalm  (144)  shows  most  markedly  evidence  of  a  separate 
popular  use,  resulting  both  in  the  amalgamation  of  new  ma- 
terial and  also   in   corruption   of   the   text. 

Most  instructive  as  showing  the  method  of  composition  of 
Psalms  is  the  book  of  Chronicles.  The  Chronicles  were  com- 
piled not  long  before  300  B.  C.  by  the  Levitical  singers  of  the 
Temple,  and  consequently  pay  especial  attention  to  ritual  and 
music.  In  I  Chronicles  16  ^~^^,  we  have  a  Psalm,  said  to  have 
been  sung  at  the  consecration  of  the  Temple,  which  is  com- 
piled out  of  Psalms  105,  96  and  106  as  follows:  I  Chronicles 
16,  vv.  8-22  =  Psalm  105,  1-15;  I  Chronicles  16,  vv.  23-33  = 
Psalm  96;  I  Chronicles  16,  vv.  34-36  =  Psalm  106,  vv.  1,  47-43. 
This  manner  of  combining  and  adding  to  Psalms  was  freely 
used  in  the  composition  of  the  Psalter.  Besides  those  cases 
already  cited,  of  which  we  have  external  evidence,  there  are 
others  of  which  we  have  internal  evidence.  Psalm  19  is  com- 
posed of  two  Psalms  of  different  metres,  on  different 
themes,  of  different  dates;  vv.  1-6,  an  early  sun  hymn,  and 
vv.  7-14,  a  later  praise  of  the  Law.  To  Psalm  32  has  been 
added,  without  title  in  the  Hebrew,  Psalm  ZZ,  composed  on 
the  motive  of  the  final  verses  of  32.  In  Psalm  44  we  have 
an  earlier  Psalm,  vv.  1-8,  to  which  were  added  later  vv.  9-26 
in  an  entirely  different  tone.  A  still  clearer  example  of 
this  change  of  tone  by  a  later  revision  to  fit  changed 
needs  or  conditions  is  furnished  by  Psalms  9  and   10.     These 


8  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

originally  constituted  one  Psalm,  an  alphabetic  acrostic  of  44 
verses,  two  verses  to  each  letter  of  the  alphabet  The  original 
Psalm,  identified  by  its  acrostic  form,  is  preserved  in  Psalms  9  ^"^^ 
and  10  ^^^^.  In  place  of  the  original  intervening  verses  have  been 
substituted  others,  not  acrostic,  and  in  quite  a  different  tone. 
Other  cases  of  composition  will  be  noted  in  the  treatment  of  the 
individual  Psalms.  Some  of  these  represent  revision  of  such  a 
character  that  while  we  can  say  that  there  have  been  one  or  more 
revisions  and  that  there  are  both  early  and  late  elements  in  the 
final  Psalm,  it  is  impossible  clearly  to  distinguish  the  different 
parts,  and  to  say  that  these  verses  are  earlier  and  these  later, 
owing  to  the  manner  in  which  the  whole  has  been  worked  together. 

Between  the  first  three  books  and  the  last  two  there  is  a 
marked  difference  in  the  headings,  showing  that  some  very 
considerable  change  in  musical  and  liturgical  uses  and  cus- 
toms had  taken  place  between  the  collection  and  formation 
of  books  1-3  and  books  4  and  5.  The  Psalms  of  the  first 
three  books  are  abundantly  provided  with  musical  and  litur- 
gical directions,  and  in  not  a  few  cases  with  historical  notes 
besides.  These  cease  practically  entirely  with  the  close  of 
book  3.  That  this  change  antedates  the  compilation  of  Chron- 
icles appears  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  historical  notes 
are  all  drawn  from  the  book  of  Samuel,  never  from  Chron- 
icles; and  that  the  liturgical  and  ritual  terms  used  in  the 
Psalms  of  the  earlier  books  were  either  unknown  or  imper- 
fectly understood  by  the  Chronicler. 

At  the  time  of  the  Greek  Septuagint  translation  of  the 
Psalter,  a  century  later,  these  terms  were  so  obsolete  that 
in  most  cases  they  were  merely  transliterated.  Traditionally 
they  were  sacred  and  must  be  preserved;  practically  they 
were  senseless.  Psalmody  was  still  alive,  however,  in  the 
sense  that  old  Psalms  were  applied  or  adapted  to  new  uses, 
and  the  Septuagint  gives  us  additional  information  with  regard 
to  the  use  of  certain  Psalms,  information  which  is  not  in  the 
Hebrew  text. 

In  general  it  may  be  said  that  the  dates  of  the  Psalms 
correspond  with  their  position  in  the  Psalter,  at  least  in  so 
far  that  the  earlier  Psalms  are  in  books  1-3,  and  the  later 
in  4  and  5;  but  there  were,  until  a  late  date,  revisions 
of  Psalms  and  collections  of  Psalms  to  adapt  them  to  new 
uses  and  conditions. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  9 

The  Psalter  was  a  slow  growth,  and  for  the  method  of 
the  growth  and  composition,  both  of  some  individual  Psalms 
and  also  of  the  collection  as  a  whole,  one  may  well  refer 
to  such  Christian  hymns  as  the  Te  Deum.  There  has  been 
a  tendency  on  the  part  of  recent  modern  commentators  to 
ignore  this  growth  in  practice,  while  recognizing  it  in  prin- 
ciple, and  to  date  the  Psalms  by  their  very  latest  elements. 
Tradition  ascribes  the  creation  of  Hebrew  psalmody  to  David. 
Liturgical  songs  and  rituals  existed  before  his  time,  and  the 
tradition  apparently  means  only  that  in  his  time  liturgy  and 
ritual,  as  well  as  law  and  government,  began  to  assume  a 
definite  and  fixed  form.  We  may  accept  the  tradition  as 
indicating  the  beginning  of  the  Psalter  as  such;  its  comple- 
tion was  almost  800  years  later. 

Divine  Names  in  the  Psalter.  The  mark  of  composition 
which  was  first  detected  in  the  Pentateuch  was  the  divergent  use 
of  the  two  divine  names,  Yahaweh  and  Elohim.  With  that  as  the 
first  clue  the  Pentateuch  was  ultimately  resolved  into  its  compo- 
nent parts  and  scholars  were  able  to  trace  the  method  of  growth 
and  development,  first  of  the  Pentateuch,  and  then  of  the 
historical  books.  In  the  case  of  the  Pentateuch  it  appeared 
that  there  were  two  early  documents — collections  of  tradi- 
tions, laws  and  history — one  originating  in  Judah,  and  one  in 
Israel,  the  former  using  Yahaweh  as  the  personal  name  of 
the  god  of  Israel,  and  the  latter  Elohim.  There  is  a  similar 
diversity  in  the  use  of  these  names  in  the   Psalter.     In  book 

I  Yahaweh  is  used  272  and  Elohim  15  times;  in  book  II 
Yahaweh  is  used  30  and  Elohim  164  times ;  in  book  III, 
Psalms  73-83,  Yahaweh  is  used  13  and  Elohim  36  times; 
while  in  Book  III,  Psalms  84-89,  Yahaweh  is  used  31  and 
Elohim  7  times;  in  books  IV  and  V,  Yahaweh  is  used  339 
times,  and  Elohim  only  in  the  composite  Psalms  108  and  144. 
Books   I,   IV  and   V  are   therefore   Yahawistic   books.      Book 

II  and  book  III,  Psalms  73-83,  are  Elohistic,  while  the  small 
collection,  Psalms  84-89,  with  which  book  III  ends,  and 
which,  as  already  pointed  out,  is  a  supplementary  Korah  col- 
lection,  is   Yahawistic. 

Following  the  analogy  of  the  Pentateuch,  this  would  suggest 
that  books  I,  IV  and  V  are  in  origin  Judean;  books  II  and  III 
in  origin  Israelitic.  So  far  as  the  Korah  and  Asaph  col- 
lections are  concerned  this  is  supported  and  confirmed  by  most 
unmistakable  internal  evidence.     So  in  Psalm  89  ^^  Tabor  and 


10  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Hermon  are  used  as  synonyms  of  north  and  south,  which  is 
physically  impossible  except  for  a  psalmist  writing  in  north- 
eastern Galilee,  where  Hermon  and  Tabor  are  the  con- 
spicuous points  northward  and  southward.  Psalm  42  refers 
precisely  and  definitely  to  the  temple  of  Dan  at  the  great 
source  of  the  Jordan.  Psalm  46  is  a  Psalm  of  a  temple 
situated  on  a  river,  as  was  Dan.  Throughout  the  Psalter 
of  the  Sons  of  Korah  it  is  the  God  of  Jacob  who  is  invoked. 
In  the  Asaph  Psalter  Joseph  comes  to  the  front,  as  in 
Psalms  80  and  81 ;  or  the  Sons  of  Jacob  and  Joseph,  as 
in  Psalm  77  ^^.  Here  also  we  find  repeatedly  the  phrase 
"God  of  Jacob,"  as  in  Psalms  75^,  76®,  and  Israel  dominates, 
as  in  80  \  50 ',  and  7Z  \  It  appears  plain  that  the  Psalter 
of  the  Sons  of  Korah  originally  belonged  to  the  temple  of 
Dan,  and,  that  being  the  case,  we  should  naturally  suppose 
that  the  Psalter  of  Asaph  had  its  origin  in  a  Josephite  shrine. 
For  the  Prayers  of  David  the  son  of  Jesse  the  case  is  not  so 
plain;  but  the  presumption  of  their  combination  with  other 
Israelite  collections,  together  with  the  use  of  Elohim  instead 
of  Yahaweh,  would  point  toward  the  northern  rather  than 
the   southern  kingdom. 

This  ascription  of  these  collections  in  origin  to  the  northern 
kingdom  is  in  line  with  the  general  literary,  historical  and 
religious  development  of  the  Biblical  books.  It  will  be 
remembered  how  large  a  part  of  the  prose  books  of  the  Bible 
was  derived  originally  from  Israel,  and  especially  from  the 
shrines  of  Israel.  In  the  Pentateuch  the  Elohistic  document 
is  admittedly  Israelitic.  Deuteronomy  is  traceable  in  its  origin 
to  the  Josephite  shrine  of  Shechem.  ^  Judges  and  a  consid- 
erable part  of  Samuel  and  Kings  are  of  Israelite  origin.  The 
earliest  written  prophecies  belong  to  Israel;  for  Amos,  even 
though  a  Judean  by  origin,  is  to  be  ascribed  to  Israel  and  to 


'■The  mountains  of  the  blessing  and  the  curse  (Deut.  11  29,  27)  are 
Gerizim  and  Ebal,  south  and  north  of  Shechem ;  the  emphasis  on  the  name 
Elohim  is  Israelitic,  as  in  the  poetry  contained  in  chapters  32,  33; 
Deuteronomy  follows  the  Israelite  tradition  and  takes  the  Israelite  at- 
titude in  reference  to  Horeb,  to  Aaron  (9  ^o)^  Solomon  (17  ^^),  the 
Ammonite,  Moabite  and  Edomite  (23  ^■^),  the  Syrian  ancestry  (26). 
Its  permeating  doctrine  of  loving  kindness,  and  its  practical  doctrine 
of  mono-Yahawism  derive  from  the  Israelite  prophet  Hosea.  The 
Josephite  tradition  is  predominant,  as  in  the  Blessings  of  Moses  (33), 
and  in  the  emphasis  on  the  Egyptian  captivity. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  11 

the  shrine  of  Bethel.  All  this  material  was,  after  the  fall 
of  Samaria,  adopted,  worked  over  and  adapted  to  Judean 
conditions,  and  especially  to  the  conditions  of  the  Temple  of 
Jerusalem.  Precisely  the  same  was  done  in  the  case  of  the 
Psalter. 

Book  I  may  perhaps  be  regarded  as  equivalent  to  the  early 
document  J  in  the  Pentateuch,  in  its  origin  and  collection 
Judean,  from  Jerusalem ;  books  II  and  III,  as  traceable  to  the 
shrines  of  the  northern  kingdom ;  while  books  IV  and  V 
belong  to  the  later  Jewish  development,  equivalent  to  the 
Priest  code  in   the   Pentateuch.^ 

Authorship  and  Occasion  of  Psalter.  In  church  tradition, 
both  Jewish  and  Christian,  the  Psalter  is  ascribed  to  David. 
So,  in  the  New  Testament,  Moses  connotes  the  Pentateuch,  as  "In 
the  Bush  Moses  says" ;  and  David  connotes  the  Psalms,  as  "David 
says."  The  headings  of  the  Hebrew  Psalms  represent  a  period 
where  this  stage  had  not  yet  been  reached,  although  a  majority  of 
the  Psalms  are,  according  to  those  headings,  ascribed  to  David. 
The  Septuagint  represents  a  further  development  of  the  Davidic 
tradition,  many  Psalms  being  ascribed  to  David  in  the  Sep- 
tuagint which  are  not  ascribed  to  him  in  the  Hebrew  text. 
The  larger  number  of  the  Psalms  ascribed  to  David  in  the 
Hebrew  text  are  not  assigned  to  special  occasions,  but  merely 
designated  "of  David."  There  are,  however,  a  number  of 
Psalms,  particularly  in  the  collection  of  the  Prayers  of  David 
son  of  Jesse,  which  are  ascribed  to  a  particular  occasion, 
as  51,  "A  Psalm  of  David,  when  Nathan  the  prophet  came 
unto  him,  after  he  had  gone  in  to  Bath-sheba";  52,  "When 
Doeg  the  Edomite  came  and  told  Saul  and  said  unto  him, 
'David  is  come  to  the  house  of  Ahimelech'  " ;  54,  "When  the 
Ziphims  came  and  said  to  Saul,  *Doth  not  David  hide  himself 
with  us?'" 


^  Besides  the  names  Yahaweh  and  Elohim,  which  mark  Judean  or 
Israelite  influence,  peculiar  to  the  Psalms  are  Yah,  an  ancient  form  of 
Yahaweh,  used  elsewhere  only  in  proper  names,  but  preserved  in  the 
Psalms  in  liturgical  formulae;  and  Adonai  (Lord),  the  late  substitute  in 
the  Jewish  pronunciation  for  the  sacred  and  unspeakable  Yahaweh.  The 
former  is  a  mark  of  early  origin;  the  latter,  of  late  revision.  The  com- 
pound name  Lord  God  (Yahaweh  Elohim),  as  in  Deuteronomy,  is 
used  in  three  Psalms,  all  of  Israelite  origin  (59  s,  80  5,  lo,  349,12), 
We  have  also  occasionally  the  name  Eloah,  the  singular  of  Elohim, 
Shaddai  (Almighty),  Elyon  (Most  High),  Fear,  Rock,  and  El  (God), 
properly  a  common  title  of  divinity,  but  used  also  as  a  proper  name. 


12  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

The  headings  of  these  Psalms  are  derived  from  the  Book 
of  Samuel,  evidence,  apparently,  as  has  already  been  pointed 
out,  that  these  headings  were  composed  before  the  compila- 
tion of  Chronicles,  a  conclusion  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  no 
such  headings  are  to  be  found  in  the  last  two  books  of  Psalms.* 
Besides  the  Psalms  attributed  to  David,  there  are  also  a  few 
attributed  by  name  to  other  authors ;  the  Sons  of  Korah, 
42-49,  84,  85,  87,  88;  Asaph,  50  and  73-83;  Solomon,  72  and 
127;  Heman  the  Ezrahite,  88;  Ethan  the  Ezrahite,  89;  Moses 
90-99.  One  of  these  Psalms  (88)  is  assigned  to  two  authors, 
and  there  is  a  considerable  divergence  as  to  authorship,  as 
already  pointed  out,  between  the  Hebrew  and  the  Greek 
translation.  It  is  universally  agreed  by  modern  scholars  that 
these  ascriptions  of  authorship  and  historical  occasion  of  indi- 
vidual Psalms  have  little  or  no  value.  Their  cause  and  their 
development  are  plain.  The  Book  of  Chronicles,  already  cited, 
shows  the  method  of  composing  and  attributing  Psalms  at  that 
period,  as  does  the  additional  Psalm  contained  in  the  Septuagint 
collection.  Later  Hebrew  and  Greek  manuscripts  give  us  further 
evidence  of  the  method  of  attribution  of  Psalms  to  occasions  and 
to  authors ;  so,  for  instance,  certain  Hebrew  manuscripts  ascribe 
17  to  Nebuchadrezzar.  In  a  Greek  manuscript  (Amiatinus) 
Psalm  1  is  headed  "Psalm  of  David ;  he  speaks  of  Joseph  who 
buried  the  body  of  the  Lord" ;  evidently  derived  from  a  comment 
of  Tertullian.  We  find  also  the  same  method  of  attribution  of 
hymns  to  authors  and  occasions  in  the  Christian  Church,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  Magnificat  and  Nunc  Dimittis,  and  later  of  the  Te 
Deum. 


^With  one  exception,  in  Psalm  142,  of  which  in  loco.  In  the  first  book 
there  are  three  historical  headings  to  Psalms  3,  7,  and  34.  The  first 
seems  to  be  suggested  by  the  similarity  of  the  statement  of  Cush,  2  Sam. 
18  32^  to  verse  1  of  the  Psalm,  but  has  been  broadly  connected  with  the 
whole  episode  of  David's  flight  from  Absalom,  commencing  with  2 
Sam.  IS.  The  heading  of  Psalm  7  evinces  a  confusion  between  Shimei, 
the  Benjamite,  2  Sam.  15  ',  and  Cush,  2  Sam.  18  ".  Similarly  in  the 
heading  of  Psalm  34  Achish,  1  Sam.  21  i°,  and  Abimelech,  Gen.  21  ^2, 
are  confused.  It  is  natural  to  suppose  that  these  three  headings  are 
from  the  hand  of  one  man,  who  quoted  rather  carelessly  from  memory, 
and  who  was  evidently  familiar  with  Samuel  and  JE.  With  the  Prayers 
of  David,  Son  of  Jesse  the  case  is  different.  Here  the  historical  head- 
ings become  both  more  accurate  and  more  systematic.  Of  13 
Psalms,  51-63,  8  have  historical  headings,  viz.  51,  52,  54,  56,  57,  59,  60,  63. 
It  looks  as  though  a  scribe  sat  down  with  this  song  book  and  a  manu- 
script of  Samuel  before  him  and  deUberately  attempted  to  connect  the  two. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  13 

The  Book  of  Samuel  is  itself  the  suggestion  and  the  basis 
of  the  historical  headings  of  Psalms  ascribed  to  David.  That 
book  utilizes  older  poems,  especially  from  the  lost  book  of 
Yasher/  among  which  are  several  hymns  and  poems  of  David. 
Second  Samuel  22  contains  the  same  Psalm  which  appears 
in  the  Psalter  as  Psalm  18.  In  the  Book  of  Samuel  this  is 
headed:  "And  David  spake  unto  the  Lord  the  words  of 
this  song  in  the  day  that  the  Lord  had  delivered  him  out 
of  the  hand  of  all  his  enemies,  and  out  of  the  hand  of  Saul." 
Basing  apparently  on  this  attribution,  on  the  Lamentation  for 
Saul  and  Jonathan  (2  Sam.  1),  and  the  Last  Words  of  David 
(2  Sam.  23),  pious  collectors  searched  the  Book  of  Samuel 
for  occasions  with  which  to  connect  the  composition  of  Psalms 
in  their  time  ascribed  to  David.  The  method  of  ascription  is 
well  illustrated  in  the  case  of  Psalm  51,  where  verse  16 
was  connected  with  the  "blood  guiltiness"  of  the  murder  of 
Uriah,  the  Hittite.  Similarly  the  reason  for  the  connection 
of  Psalm  60=^  with  2  Samuel  8  is  very  evident.  The  con- 
nection in  other  cases  is  somewhat  more  elusive.  Psalm  72 
was  applied  to  Solomon  evidently  on  account  of  the  first 
verse,  the  reference  to  the  king  and  the  king's  son;  and 
it  is  clear  that  at  the  time  when  it  was  so  ascribed  the 
Davidic  origin  of  this  collection  was  assumed.  Psalm  127 
was  ascribed  to  Solomon  because  of  the  reference  in  verse  1 
to  the  building  of  a  house.  As  in  the  books  of  Samuel  hymns 
are  ascribed  to  David,  so  at  the  close  of  Deuteronomy  two 
Psalms  are  ascribed  to  Moses.  It  was  this  and  the  occur- 
rence of  the  name  of  Moses  near  the  end  of  Psalm  99 
which  led  to  the  ascription  of  Psalms  90-99,  which  have  also 
a  certain  literary  kinship  with  the  Psalms  in  Deuteronomy, 
to  Moses.  The  names  Sons  of  Korah,  Asaph,  Heman  and 
Ethan  indicate  collections  originating  in  Dan  and  other  Israelite 


*  Yasher  is  Israel,  with  omission  of  the  divine  El.  The  word  appears 
also  in  a  lengthened  poetical  form  os  Yeshurun.  The  book  of  Yasher, 
therefore,  is  the  Book  of  Israel. 

2  Apparently  in  this  Psalm  the  heading  lelammedh,  to  teach,  is  bor- 
rowed from  2  Sam.  1  i^.  where  it  is  said  that  David  ordered  the  song 
called  "the  Bow"  (the  lament  over  Saul  and  Jonathan)  to  be  published, 
which  was  done  in  the  book  of  Yasher.  A  certain  similarity  between 
Psalm  60  and  the  Song  of  the  Bow  has  led  the  annotator  to  connect 
Psalm  60  with  that  song  by  borrowing  the,  to  him,  apparently  unintel- 
ligible heading  "to  teach." 


14  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

shrines,  as  will  be  pointed  out  more  fully  in  connection  with  those 
Psalms. 

It  is  not  necessary  here  to  recapitulate  the  reasons  which 
have  led  all  modern  scholars  to  reject  these  ascriptions  of 
authorship.  It  may  be  said,  however,  that  not  only  can  it 
be  shown  in  very  many  cases  by  analysis  of  the  Psalms 
that  they  are  much  later  than  the  time  of  the  authors  to  whom 
they  are  ascribed,  but  the  whole  principle  of  this  ascription 
is  wrong.  It  rests  on  the  assumption  that  the  Psalms  were 
occasional  poems.  They  are  in  reality  hymns,  and  even  a 
slight  study  of  hymnody  and  liturgical  literature  will  convince 
any  one  that  the  ascription  of  hymns  to  certain  dates  by  the 
method  here  employed  is  impossible.  The  traditional  ascrip- 
tion of  the  Psalms  to  David  has  its  value,  however,  even 
though  the  headings  of  the  individual  Psalms  must  be  re- 
jected. 

Unfortunately,  modern  scholars,  while  recognizing  the  im- 
possibility of  the  ascription  of  these  hymns  to  particular  event? 
and  occasions  in  the  life  of  David,  have  been  guilty  almost 
to  a  man  of  the  same  error  in  a  worse  form.  They,  on 
their  part,  have  treated  these  hymns  as  occasional  poems, 
and  endeavored  to  assign  them  to  events  in  the  history  which 
they  have  reconstructed  after  exactly  the  same  method  pursued 
by  those  who  made  the  captions  of  the  Psalms  in  Chronicles 
and  the  like.  They  are  still  further  away  from  the  date  of 
composition  than  were  the  first  Hebrew  titlemakers,  and  their 
conclusions  are  proportionately  worse.  They  may  fairly  be 
compared  with  the  example  cited  from  Amiatinus.  They  have 
treated  the  Psalms  not  as  hymns  composed  or  used  for  litur- 
gical purposes,  but  as  occasional  poems  composed  to  celebrate 
some  historical  event;  not  as  hymns  composed  like  Wesley's 
to  be  sung  by  choir  or  congregation,  but  as  a  national  anthol- 
ogy, the  lyrical  effusions  of  court  poets  celebrating  the  triumphs 
or  bewailing  the  misfortunes  of  king  or  people.  This  mis- 
taken principle  of  identification  of  the  Psalms  as  occasional 
lyrics  led  inevitably  to  a  further  mistake  in  identification  of 
their  date  and  occasion  by  their  contents,  as  that  penitential 
Psalms  must  indicate  a  period  of  calamity,  and  joyful  and 
triumphant  Psalms  a  period  of  prosperity.  This  method  of 
treating  the  Psalter  has  largely  vitiated  modern  criticism  and 
commentation  on  the  Psalms,  and  led  into  a  pathless  wilder- 
ness   of    subjective    and    conflicting    vagaries.      The    true    key 


THE   PSALMS   AS   LITURGIES  IS 

to  the  method  of  study  of  the  Psalter  is  to  be  found  in  the 
history  of  liturgies.  The  study  of  the  hymns  of  the  Christian 
Church,  of  Wesley,  Luther  and  their  ilk,  and  of  the  great 
olden  hymns,  the  Kyrie  Eleison,  Magnificat,  Nunc  Dimittis, 
Gloria  in  Excelsis,  and  Te  Deum,  their  origin  and  growth 
and  cause  and  use,  their  conservation  of  the  ancient,  their 
adaptation  to  new  conditions,  doctrines  and  rituals  throws 
much  light  upon  the  Psalter.  Of  equal  if  not  greater  im- 
portance is  the  study  of  the  ancient  ritual  hymns  of  India 
and  Persia,  Egypt  and  Babylonia,  and  especially  of  the  latter, 
because   of    their   closer    affinity    to   the    Hebrew    Psalter. 

Origin  of  Psalmody.  The  origin  of  Hebrew  hymnody  is 
very  ancient,  as  can  be  shown  by  a  comparison  with  ancient 
Egyptian,  and  still  more  with  Assyrian-Babylonian  hymns. 
The  poetic  scheme  is  substantially  identical  in  the  hymnody 
of  all  three.  The  citation  of  a  few  examples  will  best  exhibit 
this: 

(From  a  hymn  to  Amen  Ra,  Egyptian.) 

"The  One  maker  of  existence : 
(Exalted)   maker  of  beings: 
From  whose  eyes  man  proceeded ; 
Of  whose  mouth  are  the  gods ; 
Maker  of  grass  for  the  cattle: 
Fruitful  trees  for  men : 
Causing  the  fish  to  live  in  the  river : 
The  birds  to  fill  the  air: 

Giving  breath  to  those  in  the  egg :  i 

Feeding  the  bird  that  flies : 
Giving  food  to  the  bird  that  perches : 
To  creeping  and  flying  thing  alike : 
Providing  food  for  the  rats  in  their  holes : 
Feeding  things  that  fly  in  every  tree." 

(From  a  Babylonian  hymn  to   Shamash.) 

"The  law  of  man  dost  thou  direct, 
Eternally  just  in  the  heaven  art  thou, 
Of   faithful  judgment  toward  the  whole  world  art  thou, 
Thou  knowest  what  is   right,  thou  knowest  what  is  wrong. 
O  Shamash !  Righteousness  has  lifted  up  its  head. 
O  Shamash!  Wrong  like   a   stalk  is  cut  off; 
O  Shamash  I  The   support  of   Anu   art  thou; 
O  Shamash  I  Supreme  judge  of  heaven  and  earth  art  thou; 
O  Shamash  I  Supreme  judge,  great  lord  of  all  the  world  art  thou; 
Lord  of  creation,  merciful  one  of  the  world  art  thou." 


16  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

(From  a  Babylonian-Sumerian  penitential   Psalm.) 

"The  Lord  has  looked  upon  me  in  the  rage  of  his  heart. 
A  god  has  visited  me  in  his  wrath. 

A   goddess   has   become    angry   with    me   and   brought   me   into   pain, 
A  god  (known  or  unknown^)  has  oppressed  me; 
A  goddess  (known  or  unknown)  has  brought  sorrow  upon  me. 
I  seek  for  help,  but  no  one  takes  my  hand. 
I  weep,  but  no  one  approaches  me. 
I  call  aloud,  but  no  one  hears  me. 

Full  of  woe,  I  grovel  in  the  dust  without  looking  up. 
To  my  merciful  god  I  turn,  speaking  with  sighs. 
The  feet  of  my  goddess  I  kiss  imploringly. 
To  the  god   (known  or  unknown)   I  speak  with  sighs. 
To  the  goddess   (known  or  unknown)   I  speak  with  sighs. 
O   Lord,  look  upon  me,  accept  my  lament. 
O  goddess,  look  upon  me,  accept  my  lament. 
O  goddess  (known  or  unknown)   look  upon  me,  accept  my  lament." 

Of  a  different  character  is  this  little  prayer  inscribed  on  a 
votive  glass  axe  made  in  imitation  of  lapis  lazuli  and  dedicated 
to  Bel  Enlil  by  a  Babylonian  king  of  the  fourteenth  pre- 
Christian  century,  "for  his  life,"  and  discovered  by  me  at 
Nippur,  which  might  have  been  addressed  to  Yahaweh  by  a 
pious  Hebrew  at  any  period  covered  by  our  Psalms : 

"That  He  may  hear  his  prayer; 
Hearken  unto  his  desire; 
Accept  his  prayer ; 
Preserve  his  life ; 
Make  long  his  days." 

The  resemblance  between  the  Hebrew  and  Babylonian  is  par- 
ticularly close.  There  are  certain  ritual  formulae  which  occur 
in  both ;  certain  phrases ;  certain  ideas,  and  certain  conventions. 

We  possess  considerable  collections  of  Babylonian  liturgies 
and  ritual  hymns,  covering  in  all  a  period  of  3,000  years  or 
thereabouts,  in  origin  Sumerian,  adapted  and  often  translated, 
but  still  remaining  Sumerian  in  thought  and  form  and  largely 
in  language.  The  first  thing  we  notice  about  these  hymns 
is  their  persistency.  One  Sumerian  hymn,  originating  in 
Nippur  presumably  as  early  as  3000  B.  C,  contains  a  colophon 
stating   that   it   was    copied    in   97    B.    C.      It    was    apparently 


^  Presumably  the  name  of  the  god  causing  the  calamity  is  to  be  uttered 
here,  if  known. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  17 

Still  in  use  at  that  period.  That  it  was  an  act  of  religious 
merit  to  preserve  and  to  propagate  these  hymns  is  shown 
by  a  prayer  of  the  Assyrian  king  Ashurbanipal,  attached  to  a 
series  of  tablets  containing  liturgies,  in  which  he  claims  favor 
from  the  gods  because  he  has  had  these  tablets  copied  for 
his  library.  But  while  they  thus  persisted  as  ritual  hymns, 
they  did  undergo  changes  to  adapt  them  to  use  in  new  con- 
ditions. Hymns  originating  at  Nippur  were  changed  by  the 
addition  of  other  verses  to  make  them  suitable  for  use  in 
other    temples,    especially    in    Babylon. 

A  priori,  in  view  of  the  persistence  of   ritual  and  liturgies 
in   general,    we    should   expect    something    of    the    sort   in    the 
case    of    the    Hebrew    ritual    and    liturgies.      This    is,    roughly 
speaking,    the    oldest    element   in    religion,    and    the   most    per- 
sistent.    We   have  abundant  evidence   of   the   existence  before 
the  Exile  of  Temple  psalmody  in  connection  with  ritual  acts, 
and    especially    with    sacrifice.      It    would    be    an    astonishing 
thing  if  all  this  were  cast  away,  and  a  new  psalmody  created 
at  a  time  when  the  greatest  efforts  were  being  made  to  restore 
the   ancient   Temple    and   to   collect   and   conserve    the   ancient 
writings  and  the  ancient  traditions.     In  point  of   fact,  as  has 
been   already   incidentally  pointed   out,   the  very   latest    Psalms 
in  the   Psalter   retain  an  otherwise   obsolete  name   of   the   Di- 
vinity (Yah)  and  are  extremely  primitive  in  form,  mere  devel- 
opments and  iterations  of  the  hallchi-yah.     There  is  evidence 
in  the  Psalms  themselves  that  old  Israelite  hymns  were  adapted 
to  a  new  use  in  the  Jerusalem  Temple  in  precisely  the  same 
way  in  which  the  hymns  of  Nippur  were  adapted  to  the  use 
of  Babylon.     This  principle  has  been  recognized  in  the  critical 
analysis  of  the  prophets  Amos  and  Hosea,  and  verses  applying 
the  Israelite  prophecies  to  Judah  and  Jerusalem   identified   as 
insertions,    redactionary    glosses    on    old    material.      But    the 
critics  have  failed  to  recognize  the  same  process  of  adaptation 
in  the   Psalter,  where  the  hymns   of   Dan,  and   Shechem,   and 
Bethel   have   been   adapted    for   use    in   Judah   and   Jerusalem, 
and    here    a    comparison    of    the    old    Babylonian    liturgies    is 
most  illuminating.     So,  for  instance,  in  a  "Psalm  on  the  flute 
to  Enlil"  Enlil  is  besought  to  "repent  and  behold  thy  city." 
Nippur,  and  the  Temple  E-Kur,  its  parts,  gates,  storehouses, 
etc.,  are  enumerated,  following  which  come  similar  lines  with 
Ur   and   Larsa    taking   the   place    of    Nippur.      That   is,    this, 
originally  a  Nippur  hymn,  was  later  adapted  for  use  in  other 


18  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

temples  also.  This  is  very  common  in  these  hymns.  To  a 
similar  adaptation  of  a  hymn  of  one  temple  to  use  in  the 
ritual  of  another  is  to  be  ascribed  the  appearance  of  Jeru- 
salem in  Josephite  or  Danite  hymns  (cf.  Pss.  48  and  79)  ;  the 
appearance  of  the  same  Psalm  in  a  Yahawistic  and  Elohistic 
recension  (cf.  14  and  53,  40  and  70)  ;  or  the  occasional  ap- 
pearance of  Yahaweh  in  an  Elohistic  Psalm. 

Sometimes  these  old  Sumerian-Babylonian  hymns  corre- 
spond singularly  in  minor  matters  of  ritual  with  the  Hebrew, 
Commentators  have  noted  in  the  case  of  Psalm  104  that  it 
commences  with  a  half  verse,  which  is  a  sort  of  caption  to 
the  Psalm.  Among  other  Psalms  commencing  with  a  half 
verse  are  16,  23,  25,  66,  100,  139.  But  this  is  a  customary 
method  in  Sumerian.     So,  for  instance,  a  hymn  is  headed: 

"Of  the  Lord,  his  word."  ^ 
This  is  the  theme,  and  the  poem  proceeds  to  tell  what  his  word 
has  wrought,  in  iteration  and  reiteration : 

"Of  the  Lord  his  word  afflicts  the  folds  with  trouble. 
The  word  of  Anu,  his  word,  etc. 
The  word  of  Enlil,  his  .word,  etc." 

Or    again : 
"The  princess,  the  princess  wails  over  the  city  in  sorrow." 

After  which  follow  a  long  series  of  repetitions  in  which 
the  princess  is  named,  as : 

"The  Queen  of  Nippur  wails  over  the  city  in  sorrow,  etc.,  etc." 

It  reminds  me  of  the  songs,  and  especially  the  war  songs, 
among  my  Arabs  at  Nippur.  One,  a  chief  or  leader,  would 
spring  forward,  stamp,  leap  in  the  air,  brandishing  his  weapon, 
and  chant  a  line.  All  would  dance  about,  brandishing  their 
w^eapons  and  repeating  this,  uncil  the  chief  or  a  leader  gave 
another  motif.  Somewhat  similar  in  idea  are  the  hymns 
cited  above. 

A  marked  characteristic  of  the  old  Sumerian  hymns  is  the 
series  of  honorific  names  with  which  they  frequently  com- 
mence, those  of  Enlil  being  regularly  nine  in  number;  fairly 
well  conventionalized  and  traditionalized.  Compare  with  this 
the  opening  of   the   18th   Psalm,   with   its   series   of   honorific 


*  These    translations    are    from    Langdon's    Babylonian    and    Sumerian 
Psalms. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  19 

names  of  Yahaweh.  Honorific  names  are  introduced  also 
at  other  points  in  Babylonian  hymns,  or  their  equivalents  in 
the  form  of  repetitious  phrases  containing  titles  in  various 
form,  reciting  deeds  and  attributes,  or  possessions,  as  temples, 
walls'  etc.  The  object  is  to  appease  the  deity  by  these  recitals, 
and  so  bind  him  to  the  appeal  of  the  suppliant.  Even  peni- 
tentials  often  contain  material  of  this  description  to  such  an 
extent  that  at  first  sight  they  seem  like  exultations.  For  a 
similar  use  of  honorific  titles,  deeds,  etc.,  in  the  body  of  the 
hymn,  compare  Psalms  62,  65,  66,  68,  71,  IZ,  77,  89,  and 
notably  the  Hallelu-yah  Psalms  at  the  close  of  the  Psalter. 

At  or  near  the  end  of  many  of  these  old  Babylonian  litur- 
gies  we   find   a   summons   to   sacrifice: 

"Unto  the  temple  of  god  upon  a  lyre  let  us  go  with  a  song  of  petition. 
The  psalmist  a  chant  shall  sing. 
The  psalmist  a  chant  of  lordly  praise    shall  sing. 
The  psalmist  a  chant  upon  the  lyre  shall  sing. 
Upon  a  sacred  tambourine,  a  sacred  lilissu  shall  sing. 
Upon  the  flute,  the  manzu,  the  consecrated  lyre  shall  sing," 

or  again: 

"Father  Enlil,  with  song  majestically  we  come,  the  presents  of  the 
ground  are  offered  to  thee  as  gifts  of  sacrifice. 

O  lord  of  Sumer,  figs  to  thy  house  wc  bring;  to  give  life  to  the  ground 
thou  didst  exist. 

Father  Enlil,  accept  the  sacred  offerings,  the  many  offerings, 

We  with  oflferings  come,  let  us  go  up  with  festivity;" 

which  resembles  most  strikingly  the  Hebrew.  Many  of  the 
Hebrew  psalms  exhibit  a  similar  composition,  and  a  similar 
purpose.  So  in  Psalm  65,  after  the  purification  of  the  wor- 
shipper (v.  3),  we  find  him  entering  God's  courts  with  offer- 
ings of  fruits  of  the  ground  (4)  ;  then  follows  an  outburst 
of  praise  of  God's  miraculous  bounty,  containing  a  recital 
of  His  marvelous  works  and  signs,  which  cause  those  of 
distant  lands  to  stand  in  awe  (5-8)  ;  from  His  heavenly  rivers 
He  waters  the  earth,  making  grain  to  grow  and  gladdening 
the  ground  (9-13a)  ;  and  at  the  very  end  (13b)  comes,  as  so 
often  in  the  Sumerian,  the  call  to  shout  and  sing,  or  play 
instruments,  as  the  gifts  are  actually  presented  in  sacrifice. 
In  66  it  is  a  presentation  of  vows  of  whole  burnt  oiTerings, 
bullocks,   rams   and   goats    (vv.    13-15).^     Perhaps   the    actual 

1  Cf.  also  Hezekiah's  Thank  Song,  Is.  38. 


20  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

method  of  presentation  of  the  sacrifice,  and  the  relation  of 
the  Psalm  as  a  liturgy  to  that  sacrifice  is  most  clearly  exhibited 
in  Psalm  118.  This  is  a  thank  offering  ritual.  After  a  long- 
processional  ceremonial,  and  responsive  chanting  connected 
therewith,  we  come  finally,  near  the  end  of  the  Psalm,  as 
seems  to  be  commonly  the  case  in  the  Sumerian  sacrificial 
liturgies  which  we  possess,  to  the  actual  sacrifice,  indicated 
by  the  remains  of  a  rubric,  directing  that  the  sacrifice  be 
offered  (v.  27),  and  followed  by  the  sacrificial  praise  song 
which  Jeremiah  tells  us  was  in  use  in  the  Temple  in  his  day 
(33",  cf.  also  Chron.  7^  1  Mac.  4"). 

Frequently  the  Psalms  end  merely  with  an  outburst  of  praise, 
singing  and  making  melody  on  various  instruments  to  the 
Lord,  like  the  first  of  the  Sumerian  psalms  cited  above.  This 
would  seem  to  be  the  tehillah  of  the  Psalm,  to  be  sung  at  the 
actual  sacrifice  (cf .  psalms  18  ^\  71  22-2*,  74  21-23.  Psalm  100 
ends  in  the  same  way,  also  136  and  138.  In  77  the  tehillah 
or  praise  cry  is  apparently  the  grand  hymn  of  the  thunder 
storm  with  which  that  psalm  closed  (vv.  16-20)  ;  at  least  this 
follows  immediately  after  the  point  at  which  from  some  other 
analogies  we  should  expect  the  sacrifice,  namely  the  point  of 
favorable  answer;  here,  that  God  has  redeemed  Jacob  and 
Joseph.  Sometimes  the  sacrifice  seems  to  be  indicated  at  an 
earlier  point  in  the  Psalm,  however,  and  sometimes  the  whole 
Psalm  constitutes  a  tehillah,  as  in  the  case  of  the  halleluiahs 
at  the  close  of  our  collection  of  Psalms. 

Certain  stock  phrases  or  ritual  formulae  occur  over  and 
over  again  in  the  Sumerian  as  in  the  Hebrew  Psalms;  and 
occasionally  we  find  the  same  formula  in  both.  The  phrase 
"how  long"  is  one  of  continual  use  in  the  Babylonian  hymns, 
and  is~7ecognized  so  clearly  as  a  specific  ritual  phrase  that 
lamentations  or  penitentials  are  frequently  designated  as  "how 
longs,"  or  more  fully  "how  long  thy  heart."  The  same  for- 
mula is  used  in  Hebrew  psalmody,  most  notably  in  Psalm 
13,  where  four  half  verses  commence  with  an  "how  long"; 
and  in  Psalm  74  ^  the  "how  long"  is  used  as  a  designation  of 
psalmody,  as  in  the  Babylonian. 

These  "how  longs"  are  sometimes  connected  in  the  Baby- 
lonian as  in  the  Hebrew  by  calls  to  God  to  show  himself, 
and  followed  by  passages  which  seem  to  show  an  answer  to 
the  prayer.  Such  is  a  hymn  entitled:  "Like  the  sun  arise." 
All  is  destruction;  no  libations  are  offered;  the  psalmist  speaks 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  21 

no  word,  the  "how  long  thy  heart"  is  stilled ;  in  city  as  well 
as  in  temple  all  is  desolation.  So  it  goes  on  for  forty  lines, 
and  then  comes  a  broken  and  fragmentary  clause,  the  rest 
being  lost,  but  enough  to  indicate  the  nature  of  the  part  lost, 
and  to  show  us  why  the  hymn  was  entitled  *'Like  the  sun 
arise,"  viz. — "Thou  turnest  back,  thou  causest  to  abound, 
thou  bringst  to  an  end,  etc."  This  psalm  is  apparently  a 
liturgy  to  accompany  a  sacrifice  for  deliverance  from  danger- 
ous sickness.  The  success  of  the  sacrifice  is  indicated  in 
the  last  verse,  which  assumes  a  favorable  answer,  with  which 
cf.  Psalm  40,  among  others. 

Note  also  the  frequent  use  of  arise  (so,  for  instance,  9  ^°, 
10",  17^^),  be  exalted  and  similar  words  and  phrases  in  the 
Psalms  as  ritual  indications,  i.  e.,  as  marking  a  particular  point 
in  the  liturgy  to  be  accompanied  by  ritual  acts. 

Certain  divine  titles  are  common  to  the  Babylonian  with 
the  Hebrew  psalms,  as  steer,  bull,  hero,  shepherd;  and  certain 
activities,  such  as  casting  down  the  mighty  and  exalting  the 
poor  or  lowly.^  Similarly  the  old  Persian  Gathas  exalt  the  poor, 
and  care  for  the  poor  is  an  essential  part  of  their  religion;  so 
Yasna  XXXIV:  "What  is  your  kingdom?  What  are  your 
riches  ?    To  care  for  your  poor." 

*  Cf.  also  a  series  of  hymns  and  prayers  found  in  the  Theban  Necropolis, 
from  the  time  of  the  19th  Egyptian  dynasty,  1350-1200  B.  C,  which 
express  the  religion  of  the  poor,  and  which  are  very  illuminating  for  com- 
parison with  some  of  the  Hebrew  Psalms.  The  general  spirit  of  these 
hymns,  memorials  for  deliverance  from  trouble  caused  by  their  own 
sins,  and  from  the  bondage  resulting  from  those  sins,  setting  forth  the 
sweetness  of  the  love  and  mercy  of  the  gods,  with  an  ardent  desire  to 
make  this  known  to  all  men,  reminds  one  much  of  our  Psalms. 

Amen  Ra  is  spoken  of  as  the  god 

"Who  comes  at  the  voice  of  the  distressed  humble  one; 
Who  gives  breath  to  him  who  is  wretched." 

Amen  is  he 

"Who  comes  at  the  voice  of  the  humble  man. 
I  call  upon  thee  when  I  am  in  distress : 
And  thou  comest  that  thou  mayest  save  me ; 
That  thou  mayest  give  breath  to  him  that  is  wretched : 
That  thou  mayest  save  me  that  am  in  bondage." 

Of  him  it  is  said : 

"Thou  art  a  Lord  to  him  that  calls   upon   thee. 
Yet  is  the  Lord   disposed   to  be   merciful. 

Thou  art  a  Lord  to  him  that  calls  upon  thee." 


22  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

These  have  become  in  both  cases  stock  phrases  of  the  ritual. 
Indeed  in  the  old  Babylonian  hymns  the  sovereign  himself 
must  identify  himself  with  the  poor,  the  needy,  the  afflicted, 
and  designate  himself  as  such  when  he  comes  as  a  suppliant 
to  God,  uttering  the  so-called  penitential  psalms.  Similarly 
in  the  Hebrew  Psalms  the  suppliant  king  or  the  people  are 
designated  as  the  poor,  the  needy,  etc.,  and  per  contra  the 
enemy  against  whom  the  supplication  is  directed  becomes  the 
rich  or  the  mighty.  So  also  the  stretching  forth  of  the 
arm,  the  lifting  up  the  head  or  face  of  the  deity,  which 
arrests  heaven  itself,  are  common  to  Babylonian  and  Hebrew. 
Some  other  phrases  from  the  Babylonian  hymns,  such  as 
"From  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  the  setting  of  the  sun," 
are  strikingly  similar  to  those  used  in  Hebrew  poetic  lan- 
guage. 

Most  important  for  our  purposes  is  the  use  of  the  word  or 
spirit.  In  a  number  of  the  Sumerian  liturgies,  originally 
from  Nippur,  the  word  or  spirit  of  Enlil  seems  to  be  the  cause 
of  the  disaster.  (At  times  it  is  almost  hypostatized,  as  in 
some  of  the  Hebrew  Psalms.)  Temples  and  houses  are  de- 
stroyed, and  great  havoc  is  wrought.  Some  have  supposed 
this  destruction  to  be  wrought  by  external  foes,  such  as  the 
Elamites,  and  these  psalms  to  be  penitentials  after  or  against 
foreign  invasions.  In  almost  all,  if  not  all  cases,  a  careful 
examination  fails  to  reveal  outside  foes.  It  is  the  storm, 
the  rain,  the  thunder,  the  lightning  which  have  wrought  the 
destruction.  It  is  Enlil,  lord  of  the  storm  demons,  whose 
word  and  whose  spirit  work  devastation  in  the  rain  floods 
of  winter,  which  wash  down  walls,  and  bring  disaster  on 
the  mud-built  towns  and  temples.  To  me,  who  have  twice 
wintered  in  Nippur,  these  er-scm-ma  psalms  seem  very  natural 
and  vivid  pictures  of  the  winter  storms  and  their  devastation, 
terror    and    misery,    bringing    back    many    occasions    where    I 

Here  over  against  the  "Pharisaic  complacency  of  the  priestly  and  official 
texts,  boastful  and  cold,  or  the  Declaration  of  Innocence  of  the  Book  of 
the  Dead,  we  find  the  very  spirit  of  that  self-abasing  and  sorrowful  ap- 
peal, conscious  of  unworthiness  which  Matthew  Arnold  called  the  Hebraic 
attitude  as  opposed  to  the  Hellenic."  These  Psalms  are  the  cry  of  the 
humble,  helpless  man,  conscious  of  sin,  deserving  punishment,  to  the 
mercy  of  a  god  who  prefers  "the  distressed  before  the  mighty,  .  .  . 
whose  wrath  is  soon  past,  and  who  sends  no  earnest  suppliant  away." 

The  Religion  of  the  Poor  in  Ancient  Egypt,  by  Battiscombe  Gunn, 
Journal  of  Egyptian  Archaeology,  vol.  Ill,  part  II,  April,  1916. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  23 

could  well  imagine  priests  and  people  supplicating  in  just 
such  lamentations.  The  following  verses  taken  from  one  of 
these  liturgies,  originally  of  Enlil  from  Nippur,  later  adapted 
to  Babylon  and  Markuk,  will,  I  think,  establish  the  correctness 
of  my  interpretation : 

"The  word  which  stilleth  the  heavens  on  high, 
The  word  which  causeth  the  earth  beneath  to  shudder, 
The  word  which  bringeth  woe  to  the  Annunaki, 
His  word  is  an  onrushing  storm,  which  none  can  oppose, 
His  word  stilleth  the  heavens  and  causeth  the  earth  to  retire, 
Mother  and  daughter  like  a  reed  mat  it  rends  asunder. 
The  word  of  the  Lord  prostrates  the  marsh  in  full  verdure. 

The  word  of  the  lord  is  an  onrushing  deluge. 

His  word  rends  asunder  the  huge  sidr  trees." 

The  similarity  of  this  passage  to  the  picture  of  the  storm 
in  Psalms  18  and  29,  especially  the  latter,  cannot  fail  to  strike 
any  reader.  In  general,  I  fancy,  these  er-seni-ma  psalms  were 
penitential  liturgies  to  avert  Enlil's  wrath  and  the  devastation 
of  his  winter  storms,  or  else  to  be  used  in  connection  with 
the  annual  repairs  and  restorations  of  temple  and  town  at 
the  close  of  the  rainy  season.  And  this,  I  think,  throws 
light  on  some  of  the  Hebrew  penitential  psalms  which  have 
been  supposed  to  indicate  conditions  of  national  disaster,  op- 
pression by  a  foreign  enemy,  and  the  like.  They  indicate 
rather  foes  of  another  sort;  they  are  a  part  of  the  ritual, 
the  hymns  and  the  liturgies  accompanying  the  sacrifices  of- 
fered for  release  from  calamities  due  to  unwitting  sins,  to 
overcome  the  evil  spirits  of  disease  and  disaster  invoked  by 
the  wily  imaginations  of  enemies,  to  avert  pestilence,  famine, 
cloudbursts  and  much  more  due  to  the  wrath  of  God,  or  to 
demon  powers.  They  are  frequently  exaggerated  in  their 
representations  of  calamity  and  sin,  after  the  convention  of 
liturgies.  They  are  to  be  studied  first  and  foremost  in 
connection  with  the  calendar  of  feasts  and  fasts,  the  sacri- 
ficial ritual  and  the  Temple  services,  not  in  connection  with 
the  political  and  military  history  of  Israel.^ 

1  Sacrifices    and    Ritual    Occasions    with    which    Psalms    may    be   con- 
nected : 

1.  Whole  burnt,  cf.  Lev.  I. 

2.  Meal  offering,  of  which  only  the  memorial  or  azkara  was  burned, 

Lev.  11. 


24  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

This  does  not  mean  that  there  is  no  national  element  in 
the  Psalms,  and  that  they  were  utterly  divorced  from  the 
political  life  of  the  nation.  That  undoubtedly  played  its  part, 
and  the  history  and  economics  of  Israel  are  reflected  in  the 
Psalter;  but  essentially  the  Psalms  are  ritual  hymns,  and  their 
occasion  and  their  use  are  to  be  determined  not  so  much  by 
the  study  of  the  political  life  as  by  the  study  of  the  religious 
practices  of  Israel.  They  are  to  be  connected  not  primarily 
with  military  events,  and  the  deeds  and  disasters  of  great 
leaders,  but  with  the  needs  and  experiences  of  worshippers,  and 
the  requirements  of  the  leaders  and  director's  of  that  worship. 

Psalm  35  is  a  good  example.  The  first  few  verses  sound 
like  a  battle  hymn,  but  what  follows  shows  that  it  is  really 
a   liturgy   not   against    foreign    warriors,   but   against   machina- 


3.  Peace  and  free  will  offering,  Lev.  III. 

4.  Sin  offering:  a,  for  priest;  b,  congregation;  c,  ruler;  d,  individual, 

Lev.  IV,  Num.  XV,  22  ff. 

5.  Guilt  and  Trespass,  Lev.  V,   VI,   VII,   Num.   V,   XV,   3. 

6.  Consecration  of  priests.  Lev.  VIII-X. 

7.  Purification  after  child  birth.  Lev.  XII. 

8.  Purification  after  leprosy,  Lev.  XIII,  XIV. 

9.  Purification  after  unclean  issue.  Lev.  XV. 

10.  Red  heifer,  Num.  XIX. 

11.  Atonement,  Lev.  XVI,  Num.  XXVIII. 

12.  Vows,  Nazirite,  Num.  VI. 

13.  Consecration  of  Levites,  Num.  VIII. 

14.  New   moon.    Num.   X,    10. 

15.  First   fruits,   Num.   XV,_  17   ff.,   XXVIII,    Deut.   XVI,   XXVI. 

16.  Daily  morning  and  evening,  Num.  XXVIII. 

17.  Sabbath,  Num.  XXVIII. 

18.  Passover,  Num.  XXVIII,  Deut.  XVI. 

19.  New  Year,  Num.  XXVIIT. 

20.  Tabernacles,  Num.  XXVIII,  Deut.  XVI. 

21.  Priestly  blessing,  Num.  VI,  22  ff. ;  viz.  Ps.  134,  67,  8  =,  ',  ",  4". 

22.  On   days    of   gladness,   set   feasts   and   new   moons,  trumpets  blown 

at  sacrifices.   Num.   X,   10. 

23.  Ark  Song :  going  out,  Num.  X  35 ;  return,  X  36 ;  viz.  Ps.  24,  8. 

To  these  may  perhaps  be  added : 

24.  The  fast  of  the  fifth  month,  and  the  fast  of  the  seventh,  Zech.  7  °. 

25.  The  feast  of  Purim,  Esther  9=°  ff. 

26.  The    feast   of   Dedication,    1    Mac.   4 '-^ 

27.  The  feast  of  the  Battle  of  Beth  Horon,  1  Alac.  7  4-^-«. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  25 

tions  of  neighbors  and  consequent  calamities.  It  must  be 
remembered  to  what  extent  calamities  were  supposed  to  be 
due  to  the  workings  of  evil  spirits  invoked  by  secret  devices 
of  enemies.  A  considerable  number  of  Psalms  are,  I  fancy, 
liturgies  connected  with  sacrifices  intended  to  procure  deliv- 
erance from  calamities  resulting  from  such  adversaries.  Such 
are  6  and  7.  Psalms  12,  19,  22,  36,  52,  53,  55,  56,  and  91  ^ 
are  also  of  this  general  type,  but  more  exactly,  perhaps, 
exorcisms;  and  55  has  in  fact  an  alternative,  supplementary 
form,  with  a  rubric  directing  that  it  may  be  used  in  case 
of  failure  of  the  first  form  (vv.  21  ff).  In  other  Psalms  the 
calamity  is  recognized  as  due  to  the  guilt  of  the  individual 
(i.  e.,  Judah  or  the  king  of  Judah)  himself,  as  25  and  32. 
Sometimes  the  calamity  is  clearly  specified  as  dangerous  sick- 
ness, as  in  13  and  30.  These  Psalms  are  often  liturgies 
to  be  used  with  the  thank  offerings  for  deliverance  from 
calamity  in  sickness.  ' 

The  resemblance  between  Babylonian  and  Hebrew  psalmody 
is  similar  to  that  between  Hebrew  law  and  Babylonian  law, 
Hebrew  mythology  and  Babylonian  mythology;  not  of  borrow- 


1  Psalm  91  was  considered  among  the  Jews  particularly  effective  against 
evil  spirits,  and  is  termed  in  rabbinical  literature  "a  song  against  plagues," 
i.  e.  evil  spirits,  the  causers  of  disease.  In  the  Targum,  as  well  as  in 
Midrash,  the  whole  Psalm  is  given  a  demonistic  interpretation.  In  later 
literature  we  find  other  Psalms  used  as  charms  and  amulets  for  special 
occasions  (so  Psalm  3).  At  a  later  date  we  find  29  recommended  to 
avert  peril  of  drinking  uncovered  water  in  the  dark  on  Wednesday  eve- 
ning or  on  Sabbath  eve.  In  the  Middle  ages  16  and  109  were  regarded 
as  the  means  of  detection  of  robbers.  There  was  a  similar  use  of  the 
Law ;  and  this  use  of  the  Bible  as  a  whole  was  adopted  by  the  Christians 
from  the  Jews.  Babylonian  literature  contains  a  large  number  of  such 
charms,  sorceries  or  incantations,  as  does  also  the  Indian  Atharva  Veda, 
and  indeed  such  charms  are  a  commonplace  of  religion.  Sometimes 
they  were  written  to  be  used  as  charms  ;  sometimes  hymns  or  verses  writ- 
ten for  another  purpose  were  so  used,  their  appeal  of  power  or  beauty 
or  unintelligibility,  as  the  case  might  be,  constituting  their  special  claim 
to  efficacy  against  the  powers  of  evil.  Often  these  charms  were  used  as 
liturgies  to  accompany  some  outward  ritual  act,  as  is  frequently  speci- 
fied in  the  Atharva  Veda.  These  charms  are  sometimes  not  only  un- 
moral but  immoral,  to  be  used  for  help  in  illicit  enterprises.  The  aston- 
ishing thing  in  Hebrew  psalmody,  which  distinguishes  it  from  similar 
religious  liturgies,  is  that  there  should  be  so  little  of  the  incantation, 
charm  or  sorcery  element  that  we  can  find  only  the  faintest  traces  of  it 
in  the  Psalms  themselves,  supported,  however,  by  certain  later  uses  and 
practices. 


26  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

ing  but  of  ancestral  relationship.      The  Hebrew  has  not  imi- 
tated the  Babylonian,  but  is  akin  to  the  Babylonian. 

As  early  as  the  third  millennium  B.  C.  the  so-called  Baby- 
lonian cult  and  civilization  comprised  the  entire  region  from 
the  Persian  mountains  to  the  Mediterranean,  up  to  and  even 
extending  into  Asia  Minor.  The  mythology  and  the  religion 
of  that  region  were,  therefore,  a  part  of  the  inheritance  of  the 
Hebrews,  whether  through  their  Aramean  ancestry,  or  the 
Canaanite  predecessors  whom  they  dispossessed  or  overlaid,  whose 
language  they  adopted,  and  many  of  whose  shrines  they  made 
their  own.  Hebrew  hymnody  was,  accordingly,  very  ancient 
in  origin,  and,  indeed,  a  study  of  literature  and  of  religion 
would  lead  us  to  expect  precisely  this.  Liturgical  forms 
and  liturgical  rites  are  among  the  most  ancient  inheritance 
of  every  people.  David's  relation  to  Hebrew  hymnody  or 
psalmody  is  very  much  the  same  as  his  relation  to  the  gov- 
ernment of  Israel.  As  he  established  the  Israelite  State  in 
a  new  form,  so  he  established  the  Church.  But  in  doing 
so  he  was  careful  to  preserve  the  old.  Accordingly,  he 
brought  back  the  ancient  Ark.  Both  church  and  state  received 
a  much  more  elaborate  development  under  Solomon,  but  David 
was  the  real  organizer  both  of  the  Kingdom  and  of  the 
Church,  and  as  the  organizer  of  the  latter  the  father  of  a  new 
liturgical  hymnody  on  the  ancient  lines.  To  what  extent  he 
himself  was  the  actual  author  of  Psalms  it  is  impossible  today 
to  determine  but  in  a  very  real  sense  he  was  the  author  of 
Hebrew  Psalmody,  the  founder  of  the  Psalmody  of  the  Hebrew 
church,  which  yet  had  its  roots  in  a  greater  antiquity.  That 
is  the  real  meaning  of  the  tradition  of  the  Davidic  author- 
ship of  the  Psalms,  and  in  seeking  to  date  the  Psalter  we 
may  very  properly  follow  that  tradition  in  saying  that  David 
was  its   founder. 

It  should  be  added  that  with  these  striking  affinities  which 
have  been  pointed  out  there  is  a  still  more  striking  divergence 
in  psalmody  as  in  mythology  and  theology  between  Babylonian 
and  Hebrew.  Polytheism,  superstition  and  sensuality,  inherent 
elements  in  the  Babylonian  psalms,  are  purged  from  the 
Hebrew,  which  are  monotheistic,  pure  and  spiritual,  the  most 
exalted  hymnody  ever  composed. 

Poetical  Form.  The  specific  characteristic  of  Hebrew  as  of 
Egyptian  and  Babylonian  poetry  is  repetition,  balance,  or  so- 
called  parallelism.     The  same  thought  is  repeated  in  different 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  27 

but  similar  words,  or  a  contrasted  thought  is  repeated  in 
similar  words,  or  the  same  thought  is  further  developed  in 
similar  words.  The  simplest  and  far  the  most  common  of 
these  forms  of  parallelism  is  the  first,  or  synonymous  paral- 
lelism, as  in  Psalm  15  ^: 

"Yahaweh,   who   sojourneth   in    Thy   tent? 
Who  dwelleth  in  Thy  holy  mount?" 

Commonly  a  verse  consists  of  but  two  parts,  but  sometimes 
it  is  threefold,  as  in  verses  2  and  3  of  the  same  Psalm: 

"Walking  uprightly, 
Doing  righteously, 
And  speaking  truth  in  his  heart; 
He  hath  not  slandered  with  his  tongue, 
He  hath  not  done  evil  to  his  friend, 
Nor  put  reproach  upon  his  neighbor;" 

or  even,  but  very  rarely,  quadruple,  quintuple,  or  sextuple. 

The  fourth  verse  of  the  same  Psalm  furnishes  an  example 
of    contrasted    or    antithetical    parallelism : 

"Despised  in  his  eyes  is  a  villain ; 
But  them  that  fear  Yahaweh  he  honoreth;" 

the  form  most  common  in  Wisdom  or  gnomic  poetry. 

For  an  example  of  the  third  form,  or  synthetic  parallelism, 
we  may  cite  the  quadruple  third  verse  of  Psalm  1 : 


"And   he  is  as   a   tree   planted   by   water   streams, 
Which  giveth  his  fruit  in  his  season. 
And  his  leaf  doth  not  wither. 
And  all  that  he  doeth  prospereth." 


In  the  same  Psalm  there  is  a  contrasted  parallelism  between 
the  two  parts,  or  unequal  strophes  of  the  Psalm,  vv.  1-3,  4-5, 
the  former  picturing  the  righteous,  the  latter  the  wicked,  the 
whole  ending  with  a  summing  up  verse,  or  moral,  in  con- 
trasted  parallelism,   v.   6: 


28  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

"For  Yahaweh  knoweth  the  way  of  the   righteous ; 
But  the  way  of  the  wicked  shall  perish." 


Sometimes  the  conclusion,  or  moral,  as  it  were,  is  in  a  half 
verse,  commonly  included  in  the  last  verse  of  the  Psalm.  So 
in   Psalm    15*: 

"His   money  he   hath   not  given  on   usury, 
Nor  taken  a  bribe  against  the  guiltless. 
Whoso  doeth  thus,  shall  not  be  moved  for  aye;" 


where  the  first  two  sections  constitute  together  a  verse  of 
simple  parallelism,  while  the  third  section  is  not  parallel  to 
either,  but  a  concluding  clause,  summing  up  the  whole  Psalm. 
In  some  Psalms  we  shall  find  considerable  irregularities  in 
the  parallelism,  and  passages  and  phrases  which  seem  to  fall 
under  no  real  rule  of  parallelism,  but  in  general  the  verses 
fall  under  one  of  the  above  categories,  and  a  large  part  of 
the  Psalms  consists  of  pairs  of  verses  in  the  first  or  synony- 
mous form,  sometimes  varied  by  a  contrasted  parallelism,  and 
perhaps  introduced  or  closed  or  both  by  aii  isolated  half  verse 
stating  theme  and  conclusion,  or  containing  an  invocation. 

Some  of  the  Psalms  are  divided  into  strophes  or  stanzas 
by  their  themes,  as  in  Psalms  1,  19;  by  refrains,  as  in  42-43, 
80,  107;  by  a  selah  or  other  ritual  direction  or  provision  for 
a  chorus,  an  interlude  or  the  like,  as  in  3,  4.  These  strophes 
are  frequently  unequal  in  size  and  irregular  in  construction. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  rhythm  or  meter.  There  is  no 
measurement  of  syllables  or  quantities  constituting  a  real 
meter,  but  a  rather  rough  and  ready  rhythm  of  beats,  which 
ineptly,  it  is  true,  in  lack  of  a  better  term,  has  been  called 
dimeter,  trimeter,  pentameter,  etc.  Of  these  the  trimeter  is 
far  the  most  common,  the  other  rhythms  being  used  rather  for 
variety  and  to  break  the  monotony,  in  introducing  a  new  stanza 
and  the  like.  A  special  form  of  the  pentameter  is  the  so-called 
keenah,  or  lament,  because  often,  though  by  no  means  always, 
used  in  lamentations;  a  halting  measure  of  three  beats,  followed 
by  two,  separated  by  a  caesura,  as  it  were,  of  which  the 
second  part  of  Psalm  19,  vv.  8-10,  furnishes  the  best  ex- 
ample : 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  29 

"The  law  of  Yahaweh  is  perfect,  restoring  life; 
The  testimony  of  Yahaweh  is  sure,  making  wise  the  simple. 
The  precepts  of  Yahaweh  are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart; 
The  command  of  Yahaweh  is  pure,  enlightening  the  eyes. 
The  fear  of  Yahaweh  is  clean,  enduring  forever ; 
The  judgments  of  Yahaweh  are  truth,  righteous  altogether." 

This  halting  pentameter  of  six  half  lines  of  praise  of  the 
Law  is  then  followed  by  a  few  verses  of  various  rhythms, 
a  good  example  of  the  manner  in  which  in  Hebrew  psalmody 
the  rhythm  may  be  changed  from  verse  to  verse  without 
apparent  rule  or   order: 

"More  desirable  than  gold  and  much  jewels, 
And  sweeter  than  honey  and  honey  comb. 
And  thy  servant  is  warned  by  them; 
In  keeping  them  is  great  rev.ard. 
Errors   who  perceiveth? 
From  secret  sins  acquit  me. 

And  from  foemen  hide  thy  servant,  let  them  not  rule  me; 
So  shall  I  be  perfect  and  clear  of  deadly  sin. 
Let  the  words  of  my  mouth  be  pleasing, 
And  the  musing  of  my  heart  before  Thee; 
Yahaweh,  my  rock  and  my  redeemer." 

The  whole  ends,  as  will  be  observed,  with  a  half  verse 
without  a  parallel,  not  this  time  a  summing  up  of  the  Psalm, 
but  an  invocation  to  God. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  Psalm  poetry  was  not  for 
recitation  but  for  singing,  and  that  Hebrew  singing  was  not 
at  all  like  our  singing  of  ballads,  songs  and  hymns,  but 
more  of  the  nature  of  what  v/e  call  chanting.  The  range  of 
nores  was  probably  not  large,  a  number  of  syllables  or  even 
words  being  often  recited  rapidly  on  one  tone  and  then 
ci|ie  syllable  in  another  tone  prolonged,  or  even  inflected  in 
more  than  one  note.  The  music  almost  more  than  the  words 
constitutes  the  metre,  and  hence  the  same  tune  may  be  set 
to  Psalms  of   different  metre. 

Rhyme  and  alliteration  pky  a  very  subordinate  part  in 
ancient  Hebrew  poetry,  or  rather  there  are  properly  neither 
rhyme  nor  alliteration,  but  what  we  may  call  for  want  of  a 
better  word  assonance,  the  repetition  of  certain  letters  and  the 
accumulation  of  certain  sounds,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  affect 
the  ear  musically  and  to  impress  the  senses  with  an  idea  of 
meaning.     This  can  only  be  shown  imperfectly  by  the  trans*- 


30  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

literation  of  a   few  verses.     Let  us  take   for  an  example   vv. 
3-5,  of  Psalm  2: 

'N^natfkka  eth-mos^rothemo 
W®nashlikha  mimmennu  '  ''vothemS. 
Yoshev  bashshamayim  yishak 
'  «dhonai  yil'aj-lamS. 
'az  y^'dhabber  'elemo  v'^'appS 
Uvah»ron6  y^vahalemo. 
Wa'  ^nl  nasakhti  malki 
'al-ziyon  har-kodshl. 

To  give  one  more  example,  the  three  following  verses  from 
Psalm  XC  (7-9)  show  us  this  assonance  so  formulated  that 
it  seems  like  the  dominant  note  of  the  poetry : 

Ki  Ichalinti  v^'appekha 
Uvah'^mathekha  nivhal^nu. 
Shatta  '^wonothenu  l^nejdekha 
'^lumenu  lim'^'or  panekha. 
Ki  khol-yamenu  panu  v^'evrathekha 

Killinu  shanenu  k^mo-hejeh. 

Such  passages,  however,  are  usually  quite  brief,  a  few  verses 
interspersed  among  very  many  where  the  assonance  plays  dis- 
tinctly a  minor  part. 

The  poetry  of  the  Psalms  has  a  certain  irregularity  which 
gives  it  part  of  its  charm  of  freshness,  as  though  living  and 
growing  and  not  yet  finished  and  rigid.  There  are,  however, 
certain  very  marked  and  rather  naive  and  childish  conven- 
tionalities and  artificialities  in  the  poetry  of  the  Psalms,  such 
as  we  always  find  in  primitive,  undeveloped  art  and  literature. 
Of  this  nature  is  the  use  of  the  alphabetic  acrostic  in  a 
number  of  Psalms.  There  are  also  a  large  number  of  what 
we  may  call  stock  phrases,  which  are  used  over  and  over 
again,  and  which  make  the  PsaUer,  in  spite  of  its  great  range 
in  point  of  date,  practically  a  unit  from  the  linguistic  stand- 
point. The  vocabulary  of  the  Psalter  is  not  large,  but  there 
is  proportionally  quite  a  considerable  part  of  it  which  is  pecu- 
liar  to    the   Psalms.      The   range    of    thought   and   allusion    is 

1  All  vowels  are  to  be  pronounced  Italian  fashion.  Vowels  written 
above  the  lines  are  slurred  sounds,  demi-vowels.  Smooth  breathing 
indicates  no  real  sound,  if  at  the  beginning;  if  medial,  a  slight  pause 
to  prevent  vowels  running  together.  Rough  breathing  is  a  deep  gut- 
tural twang.  Letters  dotted  beneath  the  line  are  to  be  pronounced 
like  the  undotted  letters,  but  with  an  explosive  effect  and  as  far  down 
the  throat  as  possible. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  31 

not  extensive.  We  have  a  few  nature  hymns,  i.  e.,  hymns 
which  make  great  use  of  natural  phenomena,  such  as  8,  18, 
the  first  half  of  19,  29,  the  closing  portion  of  77 ,  and  107, 
only  one  of  which,  it  will  be  observed,  is  in  the  latter  books. 
In  a  few  we  have  such  references  to  surrounding  natural 
phenomena,  scenery  or  conditions  that  we  are  able  to  locate 
them  by  those  allusions,  especially  certain  Psalms  in  the  Psalter 
of  the  Sons  of  Korah,  and  the  Songs  of  Degrees  or  Pilgrim 
Psalter.  In  general  the  outlook  of  the  Psalmist  is  bounded 
by  the  worship  and  the  needs  of  the  worshipper,  his  sin  and 
suffering,  his  need  of  divine  grace  and  help,  and,  above  all, 
the  loving  kindness,  the  greatness,  glory  and  holiness  of  God 
and  of  His  abode,  and  the  joy  of  His  service.  The  Psalms 
of  the  earlier  books  are  on  the  whole  more  interesting  and 
finer  as  poems  than  those  of  the  later  books,  the  Psalter  of 
the  Sons  of  Korah  being  by  common  consent  the  finest  col- 
lection of  all  poetically.  The  Psalms  of  the  later  books  are 
more  narrowly  liturgical,  written  with  the  needs  of  worship 
in  view.  However,  in  universal  experience  the  best  poetry 
does  not  make  the  best  hymns,  and  a  number  of  the  Psalms 
which  are  most  famous  and  best  known  as  chants  and  hymns 
come  from  the  later  books,  like  the  Venite,  the  Jubilate,  the 
Bonum  Est  and  the  Benedic  Anima  Mea. 

Primarily  the  Psalter  was  the  hymn  book  of  the  Jewish 
Church.  In  the  earlier  books  we  find  hymns  for  royal  sac- 
rifices at  morning  and  evening  (3,  4),  before  and  after  battle 
(20,  21),  for  the  taking  out  and  bringing  back  of  the  Ark 
(68,  24),  for  the  great  Temple  feasts  (42,  43);  and  in  the 
latter  books,  for  the  service  of  the  Congregation  in  the  Temple, 
for  the  redemption  and  salvation  of  Israel  and  the  fulfillment 
of  the  national  promises  of  old.  But  because  it  is  a  national 
hymn-book  adapted  to  the  whole  ritual  therefore  it  has  numer- 
ous hymns  for  sin  offerings,  purification,  sickness,  vows, 
thanksgiving  and  the  like,  which,  if  not  originally  written  for 
were  readily  adapted  to  the  use  of  the  individual  worshipper. 
The  Psalter  should  be  studied  primarily  in  relation  to  its 
use  in  connection  with  these  ritual  requirements,  if  one  would 
understand  both  the  form  of  its  poetry  and  the  original  mean- 
ing of  its  terms  and  phrases.  The  question  of  the  meaning 
of  the  /  of  the  Psalms,  the  one  who  speaks,  is  often  discussed 
and  variously  answered.  Often,  probably  generally  at  the 
first,  it  was  the  king  or  the  nation,  but  in  later  use  it  becomes 


32  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

the  individual  worshipper,  inextricably  linked,  however,  with 
church  and  nation  as  an  integral  part  of  the  people  of 
God. 

Spiritually  and  poetically  the  Psalter  as  a  whole  is  the 
greatest  hymn-book  which  ever  grew,  and  it  has  been  the 
inspiration,  the  model  and  the  source  of  the  great  hymn 
writers  of  all  the  ages  since.  It  represents  the  very  heart  of  the 
Jewish  Church,  and  it  has  readily  lent  itself  to  the  highest 
thought  in  Christian  worship. 

Musical  and  Ritual  Notes.  SJiir.  The  simplest  musical  title 
used  in  the  Psalms  is  shir,  son?.  This  is  the  sole  title  of  the 
fifteen  Psalms  of  Degrees  (120-134)  ;  otherwise  it  appears  ten 
times  combined  with  mismor.  It  is  used  elsewhere  in  general  of 
any  sort  of  a  song;  but  in  Chronicles  it  is  the  specific  title  for 
the  songs  of  the  Levitical  choirs,  with  musical  accompaniment. 

Mizmor.  The  commonest  musical  title  is  mizmor,  in  the 
heading  of  57  psalms.  It  means  accompanied  by  stringed  in- 
struments, and  is  hence  translated  into  Greek  as  Psalm,  the 
twanging  of  a  stringed  instrument,  and  the  whole  book  wa.s 
called  in  Greek  Psalter.  The  title  mizmor  is  especially  cont- 
mon  in  connection  with  the  name  of  David,  to  whom  pecul- 
iarly was  ascribed  a  familiarity  with  the  harp  or  lyre  (cf. 
Am.  6  °,  1  Sam.  16"'^^).  The  Psalms  bearing  this  title  were 
apparently  arranged  for  accompaniment  with  stringed  instru- 
ments. A  word  of  the  same  root,  zamaru,  was  similarly  used  in 
the  Babylonian  ritual. 

Lammenazzeah.  Some  55  Psalms  (in  some  cases  the  head- 
ings belong  to  more  than  one  Psalm,  hence  the  slight  indefinite- 
ness  as  to  number)  are  headed  lammenazzeah.  These  are  scat- 
tered through  the  first  three  books,  but  are  especially  frequent 
in  the  Psalter  of  the  Sons  of  Korah,  and  the  Prayers  of  David 
Son  of  Jesse,  almost  all  of  which  are  so  headed.  There  are 
also  three  Psalms  with  this  heading  in  the  latter  books,  109, 
139,  140,  for  which  see  in  loco.  Frequently  this  title  is  accom- 
panied by  a  further  direction  specifying  the  musical  instru- 
ments to  be  used.  Outside  of  the  Psalter  the  word  is  used  at 
the  end  of  the  Psalm  attached  to  the  book  of  Habakkuk 
(3^^).  Elsewhere  the  word,  a  participial  form,  occurs  only  in 
the  plural  in  Chronicles  to  designate  foremen  or  overseers  of 
work,   gangs    of    builders,   porters,   etc. ;    and    the    infinitive   is 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  33 

used  twice  in  Ezra  (3  ^-  ®)  in  the  same  sense.  In  the  Chron- 
icler's account  of  the  building  of  the  Temple  and  its  conse- 
cration (1  Chr.  15^°^)  the  infinitive  is  used  as  a  musical 
term.  The  Levites,  we  are  told,  were  divided  into  three 
bands,  one  with  brazen  cymbals,  to  make  a  loud  noise,  call 
attentioti,  or  make  proclamation,  another  with  stringed  instru- 
ments of  finer  quality  (nebcl),  on  the  treble  (alamoth),  and 
a  third  with  stringed  instruments  of  a  less  highly  developed 
type  {kinnor),  in  the  bass  (hashshiminith),  to  lead,  or  what- 
ever the  word  may  mean.  The  names  of  the  chief  singers  men- 
tioned in  the  context  are  borrowed  from  the  Psalm  headings, 
and  apparently  the  same  is  true  of  the  verb  stating  what  the 
musicians  were  to  do.  It  seems  as  though  it  was  not  quite 
intelligible  to  the  compiler  of  Chronicles.  Apparently  at  his 
time  Psalms  existed  with  the  name  headings  Heman,  Asaph, 
etc.,  and  also  with  the  musical  direction  lanimenaszeah,  which 
had,  according  to  the  fashion  of  liturgical  conservatism,  been 
handed  down  after  their  meaning  and  origin  were  lost  or 
obscured.  The  Chronicler  had  before  him  a  Psalm  Book  with 
such  titles,  from  which  he  endeavored  to  reconstruct  a 
picture  of  the  choir  of  David's  day.  In  the  Greek  (LXX) 
translation  the  word  is  rendered  for  ever,  a  meaning  taken 
from  the  common  use  of  the  root  {nezah)  throughout  the 
Bible,  including  the  text  of  the  Psalms.  The  Targum  follows 
this.  Later  Greek  translations  ascribe  to  it  the  sense  of  vic- 
tory, as  does  the  Aramaic.  That  meaning  may  be  kindred 
to  a  use  also  found  in  the  participial  forms  in  Chronicles, 
above  referred  to,  meaning  a  foreman  or  overseer.  Modern 
scholars  generally  render  the  term  "of  the  director,"  or  "of 
the  musical  director."  In  fact,  we  do  not  know  its  meaning. 
Possibly,  if  we  may  take  a  clue  from  the  dark  passage  in 
Chronicles  above  referred  to  (I  Chron.  15^^),  it  means  set  for 
leading  by  some  one  playing  such  and  such  an  instrument; 
or  giving  the  tact  indicated  for  this  class  of  composition 
without  an  instrument  by  clapping  of  the  hands,  or  beating 
on  some  echoing  substance.  I  am  reminded  of  the  way  in 
which  our  Arabs  at  Nippur  would  get  a  tact  or  an  undertone 
for  their  primitive  songs  by  beating  on  oil  cans  in  lieu  of 
any  other  instrument,  and  the  effect  of  that  in  guiding  and 
controlling  the  chorus.  I  am  also  reminded  of  the  way  in 
which,  in  Palestine  as  in  Babylonia,  I  have  heard  a  leader 
shout  a  verse  which  all  would  then  take  up,  following  the  leader. 


34  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

The  word  may  mean  a  psalm  to  be  led  in  such  a  manner. 
It  should  be  said  that  mizmor  and  lammenazzeah,  and  some- 
times other  titles,  appearing  to  indicate  special  genera  of 
music,  may  be  applied  to  the  same  Psalm,  an  indication,  appar- 
ently, that  according  to  the  musical  tradition  they  might  be 
used  in  more  than  one  way,  just  as  we  have  different  tunes 
for  the  same  words,  or  even  different  genera  of  treatment, 
as   Gregorian  chants,  plain  chants,  etc. 

Maskil.  Thirteen  Psalms  are  described  in  their  heading  as 
maskil,  viz.  32,  42,  44,  45,  52-55,  74,  78,  89,  142,  to  which 
should  be  added  33,  as  part  of  32,  included  under  the  same 
heading,  and  43,  as  part  of  42.  All  of  these  Psalms  but  two, 
it  will  be  observed,  are  in  the  middle  books,  having  an 
Israelite  origin.  From  Amos  5  ^^  we  learn  that  in  his  day 
the  term  was  well  known  as  a  terminus  teehnicus  for  Psalms 
sung  in  connection  with  the  great  sacrifices  at  Bethel.  From 
Chronicles  and  Nehemiah  (I  Chron.  26^^,  2  Chron.  30  ^2,  j 
Neh.  8^'^^)  we  learn  that  Levites  were  skilled  in  singing  this  \ 
sort  of  Psalms  in  connection  with  the  Passover  and  Taber-  ' 
nacles,  and  these  Psalms  are  also  brought  into  connection  ; 
with  the  reading  and  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures.  The  j 
root  of  the  Hebrew  word  maskil  means  generally  be  wise,  also  ' 
prosper.  In  the  Psalms  it  is  further  used  in  the  sense  of 
teach  and  repeat,  as  in  a  refrain  (Ps.  47*).^  Maskil  appears  j 
to  designate  Psalms  used  or  fitted  for  use  in  the  great  temple  j 
feasts,  Passover  and  Tabernacles,  provided  with  refrains  or  , 
choruses  for  use  or  repetition  by  the  worshippers,  and  some-  j 
times  rehearsing  in  poetry  the  history  of  God's  dealings  with 
the  children  of  Israel  (cf.  78  and  79). 

Miktam.  The  title  applied  to  Psalm  16,  and  one  of  the  sev-  j 
eral  titles  applied  to  a  group  of  Psalms,  56-60,  in  the  Prayers  ] 
of  David,  which  group  immediately  follows  the  group  of 
maskils  described  above.  The  root  meaning  of  the  word  in  \ 
Hebrew  and  the  cognate  languages  is  stain  or  cover,  conceal.  \ 
All  these  Psalms  commence  with  cries  for  deliverance,  "Pre-  \ 
serve  me,  O  God,"  "Be  merciful  unto  me,"  "Deliver  me  from  i 
mine  enemies,"  and  end  with  assurance  of  deliverance.  This  , 
heading  indicates  these  Psalms  as  suitable  for  use  in  covering  the  i 
stain  of  sin,  some  variety  of  penitential  use.    They  all  represent 


^  See  in  loco. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  35 

the  suppliant  as  attacked  by  dangerous  foes,  who  are  like  lions, 
dogs,  etc.  Against  these  most  desperate  foes,  which  are  really  the 
calamities,  sickness  or  whatever  else,  or  the  demons  or  agents  who 
cause  them,  the  suppliant  seeks  deliverance.^  All  of  these 
Psalms  are  headed  lammenazzeah;  and  three  of  them.  Psalms 
57,  59,  60,  are  provided  with  selahs,  indicating  a  careful  or- 
ganization for  ritual  use.  Two,  57-59,  are  also  headed  al- 
tashhetli.  Clearly  this  group  was  much  in  vogue  and  abun- 
dantly used. 

Al-tashheth:  destroy  not,  in  the  caption  of  Psalms  57-59,  75. 
From  Is.  65^  it  would  appear  that  this  was  the  song  of  those  who 
trod  the  grapes.  Why  these  Psalms  were  chosen  for  this  purpose 
is  manifest  from  57',  58",  59',  75'.  The  grapes  are  conceived 
of  for  the  nonce  as  the  bloody  men,  who  are  cast  into  the  pit 
(the  wine  vat),  in  whose  blood  the  righteous  wash  their  feet,  from 
whom  Cometh  the  red  wine  in  the  cup  of  Yahaweh.  The  caption  is 
illuminating  as  suggesting  the  uses  to  which  Psalms  were 
put,  reminding  us  of  the  early  Christian  exhortation  to  sub- 
stitute for  secular  heathen  melodies  hymns  and  psalms  (Col. 
3  ^°,  "Teaching  and  admonishing  yourselves  with  psalms,  hymns, 
spiritual  songs,"  cf.  also  Jas.   5^^).  '■ 

Le  haskir:  to  bring  to  remembrance,  to  make  memorial,  in 
Hebrew  to  make  azkara,  in  the  heading  of  two  Psalms,  38  and 
70.  The  azkara  was  the  portion  of  the  meal  offering  actually 
burned  in  the  fire  (Lev.  2  ^' °' ^^,  6  ^^  Num.  5^^),  or  the 
frankincense  placed  on  the  show  bread  and  then  burned  (24^). 
It  is  also  used  of  the  sin  offering  offered  by  the  man  too  poor 
to  offer  a  lamb  or  even  two  pigeons  (Lev.  12),  and  of  the 
jealousy  offering  in  the  case  of  a  woman  accused  of  adultery 
(Num.  5^®).  The  heading  of  these  Psalms  indicates  that  they 
were  used  in  connection  with  the  offering  of  the  azkara. 
Psalm  70  ®  would  seem  to  show  that  this  Psalm  was  the 
liturgy  for  the  sin  offering  of  the  poor  penitent.  For  38  the 
Greek  (LXX)  has  a  further  heading  indicating  the  use  of  this 
Psalm  in  connection  with  the  azkara  of  the  Sabbath  day. 


^  Psalm  55  contains  a  supplement,  a  second  form  to  be  used  in  case 
the  first  is  not  successful  in  securing  relief.  From  Psalm  56  ^*  it  is  plain 
that  this  Psalm  was  to  be  used  in  connection  with  a  sacrifice,  and  pre- 
sumably this  was  true  of  all. 


36  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Morning  Sacrifice.  Psalm  22  has  a  Hebrew  heading  which 
appears  to  mean  "on  the  hind  *  of  the  dawn,"  but  the  Greek 
reads  "over  the  early  morning  deliverance."  It  seems  to  have 
been  designated  as  a  Psalm  for  the  morning  sacrifice  of  the 
whole  burnt  offering   (Num.  27^°). 

Tchillah:  Praise,  as  already  pointed  out,  is  the  heading 
of  Psalms  145-150,  and  was  a  general  title  for  the  sacrificial 
cry  with  which  these  Psalms,  as  also  those  of  the  collection 
111-118,  and  135,  regularly  open  and  close,  i.  e.,  Hallelu-yah, 
Praise    Yah. 

Todhah:  Thanks,  which  is  the  heading  of  Psalm  100,  des- 
ignates a  Psalm  to  be  used  in  connection  with  a  thank  or  free-  I 
will  offering  (Lev.  7^^'^).  The  sacrificial  cry  for  this  offer-  i 
ing  was,  according  to  Jer.  33  ^^ :  "Give  thanks  to  Yahaweh  of  j 
Hosts,  for  Yahaweh  is  good,  for  His  mercy  endureth  forever."  | 
While  Psalm  100  is  the  only  Psalm  indicated  by  this  title  in  ; 
the  heading  to  be  used  in  connection  with  this  sacrifice,  there  I 
are  a  number  which  are  indicated  for  that  purpose  by  ' 
their  context,  as  by  a  rubric  (56^^),^  by  the  mention  of  free-  : 
will  offerings,  or  by  the  word  hodhu,  give  thanks,  which  bears  ! 
the  same  relation  to  todhah  as  hallelii,  praise  ye,  does  to  | 
tchillah.  Several  Psalms  also  commence  with  the  todhah  cry,  1 
using  that  as  their  caption;  so  105-107,  118,  136.  In  Psalm  I 
106  the  tchillah  or  hallelu,  and  the  todhah,  or  hodhu  are  com-  ' 
bined,  being  treated  apparently  as  equivalents  or  synonyms,  : 
as  in  1  Chron.  6  *.  Perhaps  the  same  is  true  of  2  Chron.  7  ^"',  I 
which  passage  sets  forth  precisely  the  Jewish  conception  of  \ 
the  presence  of  God  at  the  sacrifice  and  the  moment  of  the  j 
praise  cry,  hodhah,  or  tchillali.  The  fire  comes  down  from  ' 
heaven  (v.  1,  cf.  also  Ps.  118^^)  and  consumes  the  offerings.  ' 
Man  uses  the  means  to  kindle  the  fire,  but  they  are  only  the  i 
means  by  which  he  seeks  to  induce  the  fire  to  come.  Fire 
is  a  divine  gift,  and  with  it  and  in  it  comes  the  glory  of  j 
God  from  heaven  filling  the  Temple  (v.  1),  so  that  the  very  | 
priests  durst  not  approach   (v.  2).     And  when  the  people  see  ; 


'  Is  this  possibly  an  echo  of  the  eirlier  practice,  preceding  the  Levitical  ). 
code  of  sacrifice,  when  the  Hebrews,  like  the  Phoenicians,  Arabs  and  ! 
others,  sacrificed  wild  as  well  as  tame  clean  animals?  J 

-This    Psalm   is   a   miktam,   or  penitential   of   a   special   sort;   but  the  i 
ritual  for  deliverance  from  calamity  involved  also  the  sacrifice  of   free 
will  or  thank  offerings  because  of  tlie  deliverance. 


■J 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  37 

the  sacrificial  fire,  they  know  that  the  glory  of  God  is  in  the 
Temple,  and  cast  themselves  on  their  faces  (v.  3),  crying 
"Thanks  to  Yahaweh,  for  He  is  good,  for  His  mercy  is 
forever." 

Hanukka.  Song  of  the  Hanukka  or  dedication,  is  the  title 
given  to  Psalm  30.  The  Feast  of  Dedication  is  mentioned  in 
Jno.  10  ^^.  It  occurred  at  about  the  time  of  the  winter  solstice, 
the  25th  of  Kislev,  and  by  the  time  when  the  fourth  Gospel 
was  written  had  become  a  feast  of  great  importance  in  the 
Jewish  calendar.  The  occasion  of  its  foundation  in  165  B.  C., 
the  rededication  of  the  reclaimed  and  cleansed  Temple,  is  re- 
corded in  1  Mac.  4  ^^-  ^^  and  2  Mac.  10  ^"^  The  Psalm  was 
evidently  not  written  for  any  such  cccasion,  any  more  than 
the  al-tashheth  Psalms  were  written  to  be  sung  at  the  treading 
of  the  grapes.  It  does  adapt  itself,  however,  to  the  conditions 
of  the  rededication  as  described  in  1  Mac,  but  not  at  all  to 
the  later  celebration  of  the  Dedication  feast,  as  reflected  in 
the  story  of  2  Mac.  It  is  properly  a  thank-offering  liturgy 
for  the  sacrifice  after  delivery  from  calamity,  and  was  orig- 
inally the  Psalm  for  the  annual  dedication  service  (see  in 
loco.).  On  this  account  it  may  have  been  selected  for  use  at 
the  rededication  by  Judas  Maccabaeus,  and  continued  to  be  used 
at  the  annual  anniversary  as  a  consequence  of  that  first  use, 
although  later  Hebrew  tradition  names  also  other  really  festal 
Psalms  as  used  on  that  occasion. 

Sabbath  Day.  Psalm  92  is  entitled  "a.  song  of  the  day  of  the 
Sabbath."  Apparently  it  was  selected  for  Sabbath  use  because 
of  vv.  5  and  6,  a  contemplation  of  the  finished  work  of 
Yahaweh;  and  perhaps  also  of  v.  14,  interpreted  of  the  gath- 
ering of  the  faithful  for  His  worship.  The  Greek  Septuagint 
translation  assigns  Psalms  for  other  days  of  the  week  also :  first 
day,  24 ;  second,  48 ;  fourth,  94 ;  sixth,  93 ;  which  Talmud 
completes  with  82  for  the  third  and  81  for  the  fifth  day.  For 
what  reason  these  assignments  were  made  is  not  in  all  cases 
clear. 

j     Marriage  Hymn.     Psalm  45  is  entitled  "song  of  loves,"  or 

j  marriage  hymn,  which  is  clearly  the  purpose  for  which  it  was 

[written.      It   may   be   worthy   of   note   that   the   word   used   in 

this  and  the  two  preceding  titles,  as  also  for  the  Pilgrim  Psalter, 

120-134,  a  collection  not  originally  intended  for  Temple  worship, 

was  song   (shir),  the  common  word  for  any  melody,  and  not 

I 


38  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Psalm   (Mismor),  although  some  of  them  are  further  specified 
as  Psalms,  i.e.,  to  be  accompanied  by  instruments. 

Tephillah:    prayer,  is  the  title  applied  individually  to  Psalms 
17,  86,  102,  and  142,  and  to  the  collections  51-72,  and  90-99; 
in  the  former  by  a  colophon  at  the  close  of   Psalm  72,  "The 
prayers  of  David  the  son  of  Jesse  are  ended";  and  in  the  latter 
by  the  title,  "A  prayer  of  Moses  the  man  of   God,"  ^  placed 
over  the  whole  collection.     The  word  occurs  frequently  in  the    J 
Psalter,   and   may   be   said   to   be   the   complement   to    tehillah,     \ 
praise,  the  two  terms,  tephillah  and  tehillah,  prayer  and  praise,     < 
representing   roughly   the   entire   liturgical    range.      So    in   Jas.     ' 
5  ^^ :     "Is  any  among  you   afflicted  ?     Let  him  pray.     Is   any    j 
merry?     Let  him  sing  psalms."      That  prayer  played  an   im-    j 
portant   part   in    the   sacrificial    ritual    from    an   early    time    is     ' 
well  set  forth  in  the  account  of  the  dedication  of  the  Temple     ; 
of    Solomon    contained    in    1    Kings    8,    where    the    prayer    of     : 
Solomon  is  the  preliminary  to  the  sacrifice.    Indeed  that  prayer    • 
may   be   said   to   be    roughly   a    summation    of    the    scope   and    j 
purpose  of  prayer  with  sacrifice:  vv.  31,  32,  to  decide  who  is   i 
right  and  who  wrong  in  contested  cases;  33,  34,  for  deliverance 
from  an  enemy  in  national  calamity ;  35,  36,   in  drought ;   37, 
famine;   38-40,   plague   and   sickness;   41-43,   the   need   of    the 
stranger;  44-45,  victory  in  battle;  46-52,  deliverance  from  cap- 
tivity.    All  the  evils  for  which  deliverance  is  to  be  sought  by 
prayer  with  sacrifice  are  caused  by  sin;  and   these  calamities 
are  both   individual  and  national,  indicating  the   scope   of   the 
Temple    ritual    and    liturgies.      The    closing    portion    of    Solo- 
mon's   prayer,    belonging    as    it    does    to    the    period    of    the 
Captivity,  is  especially  suggestive  in  the  study  of  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Psalter,  and   of  its  penitential   element.     It  must 
not  be  supposed,  however,  that  the  penitential  element  in  the 
Hebrew  liturgies  was  in  itseli  late.     The  study  of  the  liturgical 
uses  of  other  early  religions,  and  more  particularly  of  Sumerian 
psalmody,    refutes   that   supposition,    as    does    the    Bible    itself. 
But  it  does  seem  to  be  true  that  in  the  closing  century  of  the 
pre-exilic  period,  and  through  the  Exile,  there  was  a  peculiarly 
strong  development  of  the  sense  of  sin,  and  of  what  we  may 
call    the   litany   spirit.      This   manifests    itself    in    the   prophets 
of  that  time,  and  in  the  liturgies  embedded  in  their  prophecies, 
such  as  the  "song  of  Moses,"  Deut.  32;  the  "writing  of  Heze 


^Later  Jewish  tradition  made  this  apply  to  Psalms  90-100. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  39 

kiah,"  Is.  38^-2°;  the  "prayer  of  Habakkuk,"  Hab.  3;  and 
the  psalms  of  Jeremiah,  18  ^'^'^^,  20  ^■^^.  It  would  appear  from 
Zech.  7  that  by  the  beginning  of  the  post-exilic  period  the 
penitential  element  had  become  so  prominent  in  the  Jewish 
ritual  as  to  threaten  to  drown  out  the  praise  and  joyful  side 
altogether,  so  that  a  definite  effort  had  to  be  made  to  reform 
it.  Outside  of  the  Psalter  the  result  of  this  new  movement 
is  apparent  in  the  hymns  of  Deutero-Isaiah.  In  the  Psalter 
it  is  manifest  in  the  abundant  praise  songs  of  the  later  books 
of  the  Psalter.  This  whole  history  is  recorded  in  the  Psalter, 
thus:  first,  numerous  penitentials,  mixed  with  other  Psalms; 
then  penitentials  dominating,  especially  in  one  large  collection 
of  penitentials  as  such ;  then  the  similar  dominance  of  collec- 
tions of  praise  songs   (tehillah). 

The  tephillah  was  what  Sumerian  scholars  call  a  penitential 
psalm.  "The  Prayers  of  David  the  son  of  Jesse"  is  primarily 
a  collection  of  such  penitentials,  to  which  were  later  added 
a  few  Psalms  intended  for  various  ritual  uses  (65-72).  The 
other  collection  headed  tephillah,  90-99,  is  not  a  collection  of 
penitentials,  but  a  liturgy  consisting  of  a  prayer  (90),  fol- 
lowed  by  praises,   interspersed   with   occasional   litanies. 

The  tephillah,  it  will  be  seen,  is  a  general  term  which  may 
include  in  itself  special  forms  of  penitentials,  like  the  miktams. 
The  tephillah,  also,  while  in  general  contrast  to  the  tehillah, 
because  and  in  so  far  as  it  is  a  sacrificial  liturgy  must  contain 
a  praise  cry,  a  tehillah  or  todhah,  to  be  uttered  at  the  sac- 
rifice, and  so,  without  exception,  every  tephillah  closes  with  an 
expression  of  praise  and  triumph,  the  assurance  of  the  pres- 
ence of  God  in  the  sacrifice  and  His  answer  to  the  petition 
offered.  This  is  the  reason  also  why  the  title  tephillah  could 
be  given  to  such  a  liturgy  as  90-99. 

During  the  exilic  period  a  liturgy  of  prayer  without  sac- 
rifice developed,  turning  toward  the  Temple  becoming,  as  it 
were,  a  surrogate  for  sacrifice  as  a  means  of  securing  the 
presence  of  God  (cf.  1  Kings  7  *»,  and  later  Dan.  6»).  In  the 
resultant  personal  and  synagogical  religion  prayer  became  an 
ever-increasing  factor  (cf.  for  instance  the  prayers  in  the  book 
of  Daniel),  and  even  where  orientation  toward  the  Temple 
was  retained,  the  significance  of  this  as  a  surrogate  for  the 
presence  of  the  deity  in  sacrifice  was  forgotten.  The  syna- 
gogues became  houses  of  prayer,  as  well  as  Sabbath  schools 
of  the   Law.     Naturally   the  penitential   or  prayer   Psalms   of 


40  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

the  Psalter  lent  themselves  to  such  services,  and  were  freely 
used  in  the  synagogues,  as  in  private  prayer ;  until  finally, 
after  the  destruction  of  the  Temple,  the  very  tradition  of  their 
liturgical  character,  as  accompaniments  of  the  sacrificial  ritual, 
was  lost,  and  the  whole  Psalter  came  to  be  regarded  as  a 
treasury  of  prayer  and  praise  for  the  synagogue.  This  process 
naturally  left  its  mark  on  the  Psalter,  obliterating  or  reducing 
the  liturgical-ritual  elements  of  the  Psalter,  and  introducing  or 
increasing  the  purely  devotional  and  instructional  elements. 

It  should  be  added  that  there  are  in  the  Psalter  a  number 
of  penitential  or  prayer  Psalms  not  entitled  tcfJiillah.  The 
title  is  actually  applied  only  to  certain  collections  and  individ- 
ual penitential  liturgies  specifically  made  for  or  adapted  to 
sacrificial  rituals  in  the  Temple  service,  according  to  the  indi- 
cation contained  and  the  traditions  handed  down  through  the 
Temple  hymnals. 

Le-ani:  for  an  afflicted  one.  This  tephillah,  Psalm  102, 
has  the  further  title,  "for  an  afflicted  one  when  he  is  over- 
whelmed and  poureth  out  his  supplication  before  Yahaweh." 
It  is  clear  from  the  context  that  this  is  primarily  a  liturgy 
of  national  supplication,  and  the  afflicted  one  is  the  nation. 
The  heading  designates  it  for  use  in  some  national  fast.  One 
naturally  thinks  of  the  Day  of  Atonement,  in  connection  with 
which  the  people  were  to  "afflict  themselves"  (Lev.  16  -°,  Num. 

29  0- 

Le-annoth:  to  afflict  oneself.     This  is  one  of  the  headings  of 

88,  indicating  it  as  a  penitential.  It  is  also  entitled  maskil.  It 
consists  in  fact,  as  pointed  out  in  loco,  of  fragments  of  two 
Psalms,  one  title  belonging  to  one,  and  the  other  to  the  other. 
Shiggaion:  the  heading  of  Psalm  7.  The  Hebrew  root  or 
roots  shagag  and  shagah  indicate  the  secret  or  unwitting  sin 
(Num.  35".l^  1  Sam.  14-*,  F.z.  45  2°,  Ps.  19  ^^  119  «0,  for 
the  atonement  of  which  a  special  ritual  was  provided  (Lev. 
4  2,  13.  14.  22.  27,  5  15.  18.  Num.  15  25-29).  Tlic    shiggaioH 

was  the  liturgy  to  be  used  in  connection  with  the  sacrifice 
prescribed  in  that  ritual.  Outside  of  the  Psalter  we  have 
another  such  liturgy  in  the  Prayer  of  Habakkuk  (Hab.  3^), 
because  of  secret  sins  {shigyonoth,  a  variant  form  from  the 
same  root).  Babylonians  and  Assyrians  used  the  same  word  in 
the  same  sense.  The  Greek  LXX  translation  had  quite  lost  the 
sense  of  this  word,  translating  in  one  case  Psalm,  and  the 
other  "with  a  song"  (ode),  but  it  was  preserved  in  the  Pales- 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  41 

tinian  Hebrew  translation  of  Aquila,  which  renders  shiggaion 
ignorance,  following  which  Jerome  also  correctly  rendered  pro 
ignoratione. 

Higgaion.  Evidently  a  musical  liturgical  term,  used  with 
selah  in  9  ",  and  with  kinnor  in  92  *.  In  the  latter  case  "on 
ten  strings  and  on  ncbel"  is  contrasted  with  "on  higgaion  and 
with  kinnor."  The  root  hagah,  from  which  Jiiggaion  is  derived, 
seems  to  mean  a  muttering,  murmuring,  deep  throbbing  sound, 
and  to  represent  the  thrumming  of  the  kinnor  as  against  the 
note  of  the  higher  pitched  ten  stringed  nebel.  In  9  "  it  may 
indicate  the  accompaniment  of  the  selah  by  the  kinnor,  or  an 
interlude  on  the  kinnor  in  connection  with  the  selah. 

Selah.  Like  the  preceding  selah  is  a  musical  liturgical  direction 
inserted  in  the  text  of  the  Psalms.  It  occurs  fifteen  times  in 
book  1,  in  eight  Psalms  out  of  the  forty-one;  in  the  Korah  Psalms 
(42-49)  eight  times,  in  five  Psalms  out  of  the  eight;  in  the  Asaph 
collection  (50  and  73-83)  ten  times,  in  seven  Psalms  out  of 
twelve;  in  the  Prayers  of  David  (51-72)  twenty-one  times,  in 
eleven  out  of  twenty-two  Psalms ;  in  the  supplementary  Korah 
collection  (84-89)  eleven  times,  in  five  out  of  six  Psalms,  In  the 
last  two  books  of  the  Psalter  it  is  lacking,  except  in  the  small 
Davidic  Psalter  in  the  fifth  book  (138-144),  where  it  is  used  four 
times,  in  two  Psalms  out  of  six.  Outside  of  the  Psalter  it  occurs 
in  the  Prayer  of  Habakkuk  (Hab.  3),^  It  will  be  observed  that  it 
is  the  collections  of  the  middle  books  which  are  most  abundantly 
provided  with  selahs,  and  of  these  above  all  the  supplementary 
Korah  collection.  In  the  Prayers  of  David  eight  out  of  the 
eleven  selah  Psalms  are  in  the  first  part  of  that  collection 
(51-62)  ;  and  in  the  first  book  one-half  of  all  the  Selah  Psalms 
are  included   in  the  group  3-9.^ 

Psalm  3  furnishes  an  object  lesson  on  the  meaning  of  selah 
as  a  rubrical  ritual  direction.  This  Psalm  consists  of  four 
symmetrical  stanzas  of  two  verses.  At  the  close  of  stanzas 
1,  2  and  4  there  is  a  selah;  but  none  after  stanza  3.  It  will 
be  observed,  however,  that  the  first  verse  of  the  fourth  stanza 
(7)  contains,  as  now  divided,  four  phrases,  instead  of  the  two 
phrases  of   which  every  other  verse  is  composed.      Moreover, 


^It  occurs  also  twice  in  the  late   Psalter  of   Solomon,   and  lammenaz- 
zeah  once.    Whether  these  are  survivals  or  imitations  it  is  hard  to  say. 

*  For  the  probable  meaning  of  this  see  in  loco. 


42  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

the  first  two  phrases  of  the  last  stanza  (7a)  are  doxological 
in  character,  standing  in  no  intimate  grammatical  or  sense  rela- 
tion to  the  rest  of  the  verse.  These  phrases  occupy  in  rela- 
tion to  the  third  stanza  the  same  place  which  the  selah  occu- 
pies in  relation  to  each  other  stanza,  and  are  in  fact  the 
selah.  The  Psalm  originally  consisted  of  three  stanzas.  At 
the  close  of  the  last  stanza  was  written  the  refrain  to  be  used 
after  each  stanza: 

"Arise*,  Yahaweh; 
Save   me,   O   my   Grod ;" 

the  place  for  the  refrain  after  stanzas  1  and  2  being  indi- 
cated by  a  selah.  Later  a  fourth  stanza  was  added,  the 
use  of  the  refrain  after  which  was  also  indicated  by  selah, 
the  refrain  itself  remaining  in  its  original  place  after  the  third 
stanza. 

Psalm  46  furnishes  an  example  of  a  somewhat  similar  use. 
Here  there  are  three  stanzas,  vv.  1-3,  4-7  and  8-11.  At  the 
close  of  stanzas  two  and  three  there  is  the  refrain: 

"Yahaweh   Zebaoth   is   with   us ; 
Our  refuge  the  God  of  Jacob," 

followed  by  selah;  but  after  stan;a  one,  selah  only. 

Psalm  84  *  gives  a  slight  variation  of  the  use  of  selah,  but 
one  very  valuable  in  its  indication  of  the  ritual  significance  of 
the  term.  It  follows  the  word  (in  Hebrew  one  word),  "Let 
them  praise  Thee,"^  and  with  that  seems  to  constitute  a  half 
verse  (4).  In  point  of  fact  both  are  rubrical,  selah  indicating 
a  chorus,  or  praise  cry  or  the  like  to  be  introduced  at  this 
point,  and  the  verb  showing  that  at  this  point  were  to  be  sung 
halleluiahs. 

In  the  case  of  Psalms  3  and  46  (cf.  also  4  and  140)  the 
selah  marks  the  close  of  fairly  symmetrical  stanzas,  but  this 
is  not  commonly  the  case.  The  divisions  marked  by  the  selah 
are  more  often  of  various  lengths,  constituting  not  different 
metrical  stanzas,  but  different  liturgical  motives.  Such  is  the 
case  for  instance  in  Psalms  7,  20,  32,  77,  and  89,  Some  of 
these  liturgies  are  quite  elaborate,  like  89  and  77,   which  are 


*A  common  ritual  phrase  in  Sumerian  psalms. 

'By  the   change  of   the  final   letter   we  get  the   form  "let  them  praise 
Yah?"  which  I  think  was  probably  the  word  here  used. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  43 

made  up  in  part  certainly  by  the  combination  of  several  hymns 
into  one  liturgical  Psalm.  Sometimes  two  Psalms  of  different 
character  have  been  thus  combined  and  the  division  is  indicated 
by  a  single  selah,  as  in  44  and  50.  More  frequently  the  single 
selah  indicates,  not  a  liturgy  formed  by  the  combination  of 
two  hymns  of  different  character,  but  merely  a  division  of  mo- 
tive, as  between  supplication  and  answer,  exhortation  and 
ritual,  joy  and  woe,  friend  and  foe  and  the  like,  as  in  54,  61, 
82,  83,  143.  Sometimes  there  are  two  or  more  selahs  in  rapid 
succession,  as  in  32  and  49,  while  long  sections  of  the  Psalm 
are  without  them,  giving  a  cumulative  effect  at  one  point  of 
chorus  and  action,  contrasted  effectively  with  longer  periods 
of  exhortation,  prayers  and  praises,  succeeding  or  following. 
Sometimes  the  selah  clearly  stands  in  close  connection  with  the 
sacrificial  act,  and  the  outburst  of  praise  connected  therewith, 
as  in  20  and  66.  Once,  in  Psalm  9,  selah  is  connected  with 
higgaion,  indicating  that  the  selah  may  be  an  outburst  or  inter- 
lude of  instrumental  music  as  well  as  of  vocal  music  in  praise 
cries  and  refrains. 

Generally  the  liturgical  significance  of  the  selah  divisions  is 
clear,  but  not  always.  There  are,  however,  many  more  cases 
where  we  should  expect  a  selah  and  find  none,  than  where  the 
selah  seems  superfluous.  Presumably  this  and  other  rubrical 
directions  which  occur  here  and  there,  usually  obscured  by  text 
corruption  because  misunderstood,  are  remnants  of  a  much 
larger  body  of  such  notes  with  which  the  old  Psalms  were 
once  provided. 

Music  and  Musical  Instruments.  The  early  Sumerian  Psalms 
were  classified  among  other  things  according  to  the  instrument 
to  be  used  in  leading  or  accompanying  the  singing,  as  on  "the 
flute,"  "on  the  lyre,"  "on  the  mansu,"  etc.  Precisely  the  same 
practice  prevailed  among  the  Hebrews,  and  it  is  especially  the 
oldest  Psalms  which  we  find  so  designated  or  classified.  In  the 
Hebrew,  as  in  the  old  Sumerian  psalms,  where  five  musical  instru- 
ments are  mentioned  in  the  headings,  we  cannot  always  identify 
the  instrument,  or  even  specify  its  genre. 

Neginoth.  On  neginoth  is  the  specification  prefixed  to  seven 
Psalms;  4,  6,  54,  55,  61,  67,  76,  two  of  them  from  the  first 
part  of  the  early  Judean  collection,  four  from  the  Prayers  of 
David,  and  one  from  the  Asaph  Psalter.  All  these,  it  will 
be  noted,  are  lamenazzeah  psalms,   so  the  entire   headings   of 


44  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

these  Psalms  constitute  a  direction  that  the  psahns  are  to  be 
led  by  the  neginoth,  which  is  the  primitive  and  simplest  ex- 
pression for  stringed  instruments  (cf.  Is.  38").  This  is 
consistently  rendered  in  LXX  "in  hymns." 

Nehiloth.  On  nehiloth  or  on  mahalath  is  the  heading  of 
three  Psalms,  5,  53,  88.  One  of  these,  it  will  be  observed,  is 
from  that  collection,  Psalms  4-12,  so  fully  provided  with 
musical  and  liturgical  headings  that  it  appears  to  form  a 
collection  by  itself  within  the  Judean  Davidic  Psalter,  and 
one  from  the  similarly  treated  collection  of  Psalms  (51-63) 
in  the  second  book,  bearing  the  same  relation  to  the  entire 
Prayers  of  David  the  son  of  Jesse  which  the  collection  4-12  ^  does 
to  the  entire  Davidic  Psalter  of  the  first  book.  The  third  is 
from  the  Yahawistic  appendix  to  book  3,  consisting  of  very 
old  hymns  made  over.  Apparently  nehiloth  and  mahalath,  like 
halil,  mean  flute,  and  we  have  here  the  same  designation  so 
common  in  early  Sumerian  hymns  from  Nippur,  Jialliallatu.^ 
In  the  later  use  in  the  Herodian  Temple  the  flute  seems  to  have 
been  especially  connected  with  festivals  and  joy-songs,  and  from 
Is.  30  ^°  it  would  seem  that  this  was  also  an  early  use.  It  was 
similarly  used  in  the  Christian  Churches  in  Egypt  until  190 
A.  D,  By  the  time  of  the  LXX  translation  all  knowledge  or 
tradition  of  the  meaning  of  this  heading  was  lost,  and  nehiloth 
was  connected  with  a  different  root,  and  translated  "possession," 
while  mahalath  was  merely  transliterated. 

Sheminith.  Psalms  6  and  12  are  on  the  sheminith  (al- 
hassheminith) ,  the  kind  of  stringed  instrument  to  be  used  by 
the  leader  being  so  defined.  This  word  appears,  even  to  the 
LXX,  to  mean,  on  the  eighth.  It  has  been  frequently  supposed 
to  denote  a  low  pitch  in  contrast  to  al-alamoth  (Chron.  15  ^''•^^), 
supposed  to  denote  women's  voices,  and  has  been  interpreted 
as  being  for  male  tones,  an  octave  below.  Apparently  it  desig- 
nates a  variety  of  stringed  instrument,  perhaps  a  sort  of  bass 
viol   with   eight  strings.     In  Psalm  5   it  is  used  with,  and   in 


1  It  will  be  observed  that  this  collection  begins  with  psalms  for  morn- 
ing  (3)   and  evening   (4)    sacrifice. 

^Apparently  halhallatu  was  Semitic  not  Sumerian.  In  general  the 
names  of  instruments  prefixed  to  the  psalms  in  the  old  Sumerian  days 
continued  to  be  prefixed  in  the  copies  in  the  library  of  Ashurbanipal,  over 
2000  years  later,  when  the  meaning  of  some  of  them  certainly  was  long 
forgotten. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  45 

Psalm  12  without,  neginoth,  but  the  word  mismor  in  the  title 
of  12  shows  that  here  also  it  is  used  of  stringed  instruments. 

Al-alamoth.  Literally,  on  maidens.  This  occurs  as  a  heading 
in  Ps.  46  ^  but  separated  from  the  lammenasscah  by  the  words 
"of  the  sons  of  Korah."  It  occurs  at  the  close  of  Ps.  48  (v. 
14),  where  it  makes  bad  sense,  and  is  supposed  to  be  part 
of  the  heading  of  Ps.  49,  which  would  then  be  the  same  as 
that  of  46,  with  the  substitution  of  mizmor  for  shir.  It  seems 
to  lie  behind  the  unintelligible  al  muth  labben  of  Psalm  9.  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  it  finds  its  explanation  in  the  psalteries  on 
alamoth  of  1  Chron.  15^°,  and  that  in  all  three  Psalms  we  have 
a  direction  for  a  variety  of  stringed  instrument,  nchel,  known 
as  alamoth,  contrasted  in  tone  with  the  sheminith. 

Al-haggittith.  This  occurs  in  the  heading  of  Psalms  8,  81, 
84,  and  is  translated  by  the  LXX,  on  the  zvinepresses.  The 
LXX  has  evidently  connected  it  with  the  word  gath,  wine  press. 
Its  use  with  al  after  lammenasssah,  analogous  to  the  uses  which 
we  have  been  studying,  suggests  that  it  is  here  the  designation 
of  some  musical  instrument  from  Gath,  and  the  further  use 
of  mizmor  in  the  heading  of  two  of  these  Psalms  would  seem 
to  show  that  this  Gittite  instrument  was  a  string,  not  a  wind 
instrument.  One  is  reminded  that  David,  the  traditional  founder 
of  temple  psalmody,  made  especial  use  of  Gittites  in  his  en- 
tourage. 

Yediithnn.  Of  the  same  character  is  perhaps  the  heading 
on  or  to  Yeduthun,  used  with  lammenasseoh  in  Psalms  39,  62, 
and  77.  Possibly  this  was  an  instrument  named  after  an 
individual.  1  Chr.  6  "  ^,  2  Chr.  6  "  mention  Jeduthun  with 
Asaph  and  Heman  as  a  singer,  but  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  the  Chronicler  was  dependent  for  his  information  on  the 
old,  and  by  that  time  unintelligible  Psalm  headings ;  which  is 
borne  out  by  the  confusion  in  the  former  passage  regarding 
the  functions  of  Jeduthun. 

These  designations  of  instruments  in  the  headings  of  Psalms 
are  exactly  parallel  to  the  similar  designations  in  the  headings 
of  the  old  Babylonian  psalms,  as  already  pointed  out.  Like 
those  they  were  handed  down  as  a  tradition  with  the  Psalms, 
and  constitute  one  of  the  oldest  elements  of  the  Hebrew  psalm- 
ody. They  are  a  mark  of  antiquity,  unintelligible  just  on  that 
account,  and  are  conspicuous  by  their  entire  absence  from  the 
later  books.     It  may  be  added  that  the  representations  of  musi- 


46  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

cal   instruments    on   Assyrian    monuments    suggest   a    stage    of 
development  on  a  par  with  that  of  the  Hebrews. 

We  have  also  a  number  of  musical  instruments  mentioned 
in  the  texts  of  the  Psalms  themselves.  There  are  two  words 
in  use  to  indicate  playing  on  stringed  instruments  to  accom- 
pany singing,  zamar,  common  in  Psalms  from  beginning  to 
end,  and  in  the  form  of  mismor  a  frequent  Psalm  heading, 
but  infrequent  outside  of  the  Psalter ;  and  nagan,  the  root  which 
appears  in  neginoth,  used  five  times,  outside  of  headings,  in 
the  Psalms  of  the  first  three  books  {ZZ\  61  \  68",  69", 
yy),  a  fairly  common  word  in  the  classical  period  (Sam., 
Kings,  Is.,  Hab.,  Lam.,  and  once  in  Job).  While  both  are 
words  in  good  use,  it  would  seem  as  though  the  latter  was 
earlier  the  common  word,  giving  way  ultimately,  especially  in 
technical  liturgical  phraseology,  to  the  former. 

Kinnor  and  Nebel  were  common  terms  for  stringed  instru- 
ments from  the  earliest  times  down  at  least  to  the  close  of  the 
Psalm  period,  the  former  somewhat  more  common  than  the 
latter  (kinnor  =  33,  43,  49,  57,  71,  81,  92,  98,  108.  137,  147, 
149,  150;  nebel  =  33,  57,  71,  81,  92,  108,  144,  150).  The 
nebcl  is  in  every  case  but  one  joined  with  the  kinnor,  and  it  is 
several  times  described  as  ten  stringed,  making  it  presumptive 
that  the  kinnor  had  fewer  strings.^ 

Flute.  Of  wind  instruments,  besides  the  Halil,  we  have  the 
'ugal,  apparently  some  variety  of  flute,  an  old  word  but  rare, 
occurring  only  once,  in  Psalm  150*. 

Horn-trumpet,  shophar,  a  good  old  word  and  instrument,  47, 
81,  91,  98,  150;  and  the  straight-trumpet,  or  clarion,  long  and 
straight,  with  flaring  mouth,  hezozeroth,  of  later  origin,  98 ". 
Originally  the  trumpet  was  a  ram's  horn,  and  this  is  still  used 
for  certain  purposes  in  the  synagogue.  Later,  for  general  pur- 
poses, the  straight  form  was  adopted.  The  trumpet  was 
blown  by  the  priests,  not  the  troops,  and  was  used  to  signal 
a  ritual  act  or  a  change  of  liturgical  motive. 

Of  percussion  instruments  we  have  two  sorts,  the  drum  or 
timbrel,  toph,  early  to  late  (68,  81,  149,  150),  and  tamborines 
or  castanets  of  two  kinds,  only  used  in  Psalm  150.     The  latter 


ijosephus  says:  (Ant.  VII.  1283)  that  the  kinnor  had  ten  strings  and 
was  struck  with  a  plectrum.  The  nebel  twelve  notes,  and  was  struck 
with  the  fingers.  Does  this  represent  the  use  of  stringed  instruments 
in  his  time?  Jewish  coins  of  that  period  show  lyres  with  three  and  five 
strings. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  47 

seems  to  be  a  late,  the  former  an  early  word  and  instrument. 
The  drums  or  timbrels  are  represented  as  used  for  processional 
purposes  in  Psalm  68  ^^  where  the  Ark  procession  is  described ; 
men  playing  on  stringed  instruments  led  the  way,  in  the  middle 
were  maidens  playing  the  drums  or  timbrels. 

Minnim,  meaning  strings,  and  evidently  a  general  word  for 
stringed  instruments,  as,  in  the  same  passage,  'ugal  and  toph 
represent  wind  and  percussion  instruments  respectively,  is  used 
once,  in  Ps.  150  *. 

Apparently  from  the  outset  to  the  close  of  the  Psalm  period 
there  was  very  little  change  in  the  instruments  used  and 
named,  and  the  same  names  are  in  general  use  also  in  the  other 
books  of  the  Bible,  up  to  and  including  Chronicles.  In  the 
later  Psalms,  however,  musical  instruments  are  more  frequently 
named,  and  on  the  whole  we  get  an  impression  of  a  larger 
or  more  fully  organized  use  of  instrumental  music  in  con- 
nection with  psalmody.  In  the  Book  of  Daniel  (165  B.  C.) 
we  find  a  new  set  of  names,  of  Greek  origin,  not  represented 
in  the  Psalter,  but  from  the  context  clearly  the  names  used 
at  the  time  of  that  book  for  the  musical  instruments  then  em- 
ployed in  the  Temple  service,  the  kitheros,  sackbut  (sabka), 
mashrokith,  and  symphony.  In  the  Herodian  Temple  psalmody 
and  musical  instruments  were  still  more  fully  developed,  and 
included  a  sort  of  organ,  called  mogrephah,  said  to  have  had  a 
hundred  notes. 

The  natural  conclusion  from  this  survey  would  seem  to  be 
that  up  to  and  including  the  time  of  Chronicles,  ca.  300  B.  C, 
there  was  but  little  change  in  the  instruments  and  instru- 
mental music  in  use  among  the  Hebrews ;  that  during  the 
Greek  period,  somewhere  in  the  third  century  B.  C,  new  in- 
struments and  a  new  nomenclature  were  introduced,  which 
are  not  represented  in  the  Psalms,  and  that,  therefore,  before 
the  period  of  this  change  the  Psalms  were  so  well  estab- 
lished in  their  phraseology  that  no  new  terms  might  be 
introduced. 

Dancing  and  Singing,  Dancing  is  early  mentioned  in  connec- 
tion with  Hebrew  ritual  and  hymnody,  especially  as  an  accom- 
paniment of  processions  and  the  processional  or  pilgrimage  festi- 
vals (cf.  Ex.  15  20,  Judges  21  ^\  2  Sam.  6  ^«).  In  the  Psalter  it  is 
only  mentioned  in  the  last  two  Psalms  (149  ^,  150  *),  and  there  in 
connection  with  musical  instruments.     The  general  assumption 


48  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

is  that  it  was  confined  to  processions  and  pilgrimage  festivals, 
but  in  the  Herodian  Temple  certainly  we  find  dancing  in  the 
Temple  courts  in  connection  with  the  feast  of  Tabernacles. 

Female  singers  are  mentioned  in  Ex.  4  and  15  and  in  Ps. 
68.  The  Assyrian  inscriptions  mention  women  singers  as 
among  the  captives  taken  from  Jerusalem  in  701  B.  C,  and 
Ezra  (2")  and  Nehemiah  (7°^)  mention  both  singing  men 
and  singing  women  among  those  returning  from  the  Captivity, 
presumably  as  belonging  to  the  Temple  personnel.  Such  use 
of  women  with  men  in  the  Temple  choirs  would  accord 
also  with  Babylonian  and  Assyrian  use,  as  gathered  from 
the  monuments,  and  from  the  archives  of  the  ancient  Bel 
(Enlil)  temple  at  Nippur,  where  on  the  salary  lists  we  find 
both  men  and  women  singers. 

At  the  time  of  Nehemiah  the  singers  were  not  counted 
as  Levites.  They  follow  next  after  these  ir  the  enumera- 
tion of  Temple  officials:  Priests,  Levites,  singers,  porters, 
and  Nethinim,  i.  e..  Temple  slaves,  or  descendants  of  the 
same.  Up  to  about  440  B.  C,  then,  the  Temple  singers 
were  not  Levites  and  the  choirs  included  women  as  well 
as  men.  Shortly  after  this  a  change  began,  and  in  some 
of  the  remodeled  portions  of  Nehemiah  (11  ^°'  ^^'  ^^'  ^^, 
j2  8.  »,  24,  25,  27-29-)        ^g  f^^^  ^|-jg  siugcrs   iucludcd  among  the 

Levites.  This  may  be  connected  with  the  reforms  of  Ezra 
in  the  following  century,  ca.  380  B.  C.  By  the  time  of  the 
Chronicler  the  singers  have  become  the  highest  class  of  Levites. 
By  that  time,  also,  the  porters  are  counted  as  Levites,  and 
a  little  later  the  Nethinim.  In  the  Herodian  Temple  there 
were  only  priests  and  Levites,  the  latter  divided  into  classes 
according  to  their  functions,  the  highest  class  being  the  mu- 
sicians. In  the  Herodian  Temple,  moreover,  there  were  only 
male  singers,^  and  apparently  this  had  been  the  case  since 
before  the  time  of  the  Chronicler.^  It  would  seem  natural 
to   suppose   this  change   to   have   taken   place   at   the   time   of 


*  According  to  late  Jewish  tradition  the  mininrium  choir  was  twelve 
adult  Levites,  nine  playing  the  kinnor,  two  the  nebcl,  and  one  the  cymbals, 
singing  to  their  own  accompaniment.  A  very  different  proportion  is 
represented  in  1  Chr.  15  ^^  ^.,  where  we  have  three  with  double  cymbals 
of  brass,  eight  with  the  nchel  on  'alamoth,  and  six  with  the  kinnor  on  the 
sheminith,  besides  the  seven  priests  with  trumpets  who  preceded  the  Ark. 

'  In  one  passage  the  Chronicler  mentions  women  as  singing  lamenta- 
tions apparently  in  his  time  (2  Chr.  35  2*). 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  49 

the  great  reforms  of  Ezra.  The  loss  of  the  female  sopranos 
made  necessary  ultimately  the  introduction  of  boys,  which  we 
find  to  have  been  accomplished  by  the  time  of  the  Herodian 
Temple.  There  the  male  Levitical  singers  were  supplemented 
by  boys,  sons  of  Levites,  who  were  not  placed,  however,  with 
the  Levites,  but  stood  a  little  below  them;  to  use  modern 
phraseology,  not  yet  in  the  chancel,  but  in  the  front  pews  of 
the  nave. 

Tunes.  There  are  seven  Psalms  bearing  titles  which  have  been 
regarded  by  many  recent  commentators  as  the  tunes  to 
which  they  were  appointed  to  be  sung,  viz.,  9,  22,  45,  56,  60, 
69,  80.  We  have  seen  that  two  of  these  titles,  quite  impossible 
in  the  Hebrew,  9  and  22,  can  be  resolved  by  comparison 
with  the  Greek  into  intelligible  headings  of  familiar  type,  the 
one  a  musical  the  other  a  sacrificial  direction.  The  title  of 
56,  unintelligible  to  us  in  the  Hebrew,  was  equally  so  to  the 
Greek  translators.  In  the  Hebrew  it  seems  to  read:  "On  a 
dove  of  the  terebinth  (those)  far  away" ;  in  the  Greek,  "For 
the  sake  of  the  people  shortened  ( ?)  under  the  holy  ones." 
The  natural  presumption  is  of  a  text  corruption,  but  what 
lies  behind  is  not  clear.  It  occupies  the  position  in  the 
Psalm  heading  usually  occupied  by  the  name  of  the  instru- 
ment, or  in  the  three  succeeding  Psalms  by  the  "Destroy 
not,"  which,  as  we  have  seen,  is  the  title  of  the  vintage  hymn. 
45  and  69  are  entitled  in  the  Hebrew  "on  (or  to)  lilies"; 
and  60  and  80  "on  (or  to)  lilies  a  testimony."  In  the  Greek 
for  "on  (or  to)  lilies"  stands  "for  (or  to)  the  forsaken 
ones  (?)."  "Testimony"  in  60  and  80  is  literally  translated, 
and  to  80  is  added  "because  of  the  Assyrian,"  a  historical 
note  of  occasion.  Now  in  Sumerian  psalm  headings  we  have 
to  the  three  (j-ui-Zz^/jan),  apparently  a  three  stopped  pipe.  It 
has  been  plausibly  suggested  that  to  the  sushan  (lily)  of  our 
Hebrew  text  is  a  misunderstanding  of  the  ancient  Sumerian  term, 
and  that  the  lily  is  really  a  three  stopped  pipe,  a  Babylonian 
specimen  of  which  has  recently  been  found  at  Borsippa. 

The  lament  of  David  over  Jonathan  is  called  "The  Bow"  (2 
Sam.  1"),  but  this  is  a  title  of  content,  taken  from  the  song 
itself  (v.  22),  just  as  (Ex.  3)  the  episode  of  the  fire  in  the  bush  is 
called  "The  Bush"  (Mk.  12'").  Songs  are  designated  elsewhere 
in  Hebrew  by  their  first  lines  or  words,  so  "Destroy  not,  for 
a   blessing   is   in  it"    (Is.    65"),   abbreviated   in   the   headings 


50  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

of  Psalms  57-59,  75,  to  "destroy  not,"  which  reminds  one  of 
the  Hebrew  titles  of  the  books  of  the  Law,  "In  the  Begin- 
ning," "And  these  are  the  names,"  etc.,  viz.,  the  first  words 
of  those  books.^  In  Psalm  68  vv.  1  ^^  ^  we  have  several  song 
titles,  consisting  of  first  lines  or  phrases.  The  preceding  verse 
(10)  is  a  rubric  directing  that  the  women  shall  proclaim 
the  good  tidings  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord  (the  Ark).  Then 
follows  our  passage,  a  series  of  disconnected  sentences,  evi- 
dently the  first  lines,  or  titles,  of  the  hymns  the  women  were 
to  sing  to  announce,  or  greet  His  coming: 

"Kings  of  hosts  flee  apace, 
And  a  housewife  divideth  the  spoil; 
Though  ye   lie   among   pots ; 
Dove's  wings  covered  with  silver, 
And  her  feathers  with  burnished  gold; 
When  the  Almighty  scattered  kings  therein; 
It  snoweth  in  Salmon." 

Similarly  in  Babylonian  psalmody,  while  we  have  a  couple 
of  liturgies  bearing  titles  of  content,  such  as  "The  Crying 
Storm,"  "The  Bull  to  His  Sanctuary,"  "Exalted  Heaven,"  liturgies 
and  Psalms  are  commonly  designated  by  the  words  of  the  first 
line,  thus: 

"Like  the  Spirit  it  is  immutable; 
For  him  that  is  wracked  with  sorrows ; 
Arise  like  the  sun; 

O  honored  one,  repent,  behold  thy  city; 

Thou  whose  glory  in  the  sacred  boat  of  heaven  is  self  created; 
She  that  sits  in  humiliation." 

Some  of  these  are  the  half  lines  prefixed  to  Psalms,  to 
which  attention  has  been  called.  Perhaps  we  may  also  regard 
the  similar  phrases  or  half  lines  prefixed  to  Hebrew  Psalms 
as  titles,  as  in  53:  "The  fool  hath  said  in  his  heart,  God 
is  not";  23:  "Yahaweh,  my  shepherd,  I  want  not";  66  and 
100:     "Cry  out  to  God   (Yahaweh)   all  the  earth." 

It  is  possible  that  the  headings  of  Psalms  56  and  45,  60, 
69  and  80  may  contain  in  mutilated  form,  along  with  the  name 
of  the  musical  instrument,  similar  old  titles,  or  ritual  or  liturgical 
directions,  which  are  no  longer  understood,  and  which  may  have 
become  corrupted  in  transmission. 


1  Observe   the    similar   method    of   entitling   Psalms   in   the   Latin    and 
English  Psalters:    "Deus  Misereatur,"  "Benedic  anima  mea,"  etc. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  SI 

Date  o£  the  Psalter.  The  origins  of  the  Psalms,  as  has  been 
pointed  out,  lie  far  back,  and  are  common  to  the  Hebrew  with 
other  kindred  and  neighboring  peoples.  This  is  true  of  the  gen- 
eral form  of  composition,  of  a  number  of  phrases  and  ideas,  of 
methods  of  thought  and  expression,  and  of  uses  and  beliefs 
which  persist  until  the  very  latest  period. 

When  David  organized  the  kingdom  and  established  the 
Hebrew  cult  in  Jerusalem  he  had  behind  him  already  a 
body  of  liturgical  compositions  connected  with  the  ritual  of 
that  cult,  its  sacrifices  and  its  peculiar  palladium,  the  Ark. 
Sirach  fairly  states  David's  relation  to  psalmody  when  he 
says  that  he  both  composed  Psalms  and  organized  the  cult 
at  Jerusalem,  beautifying  the  feasts,  setting  in  order  the 
"solemn  times,"  and  appointing  singers  to  sing  Psalms  at 
the  sacrifices    (Eccl.  47^^). 

With   David   begin  historical   records,   official   annals,   notices 
of  wars  and  treaties,  temple  reports,  ceremonial  and  ritual 
directions,  and  the  writing  down  of  hymns  and  Psalms.     This 
recordism  was  more  fully  developed  under  Solomon    (933-910 
B.    C),    with    whom    also    real    literary    activity    may    be    said 
to  commence,  the  writing  of   history,   the  gathering   of   songs 
into   collections,   like   the   Book   of   Yasher   and   the    Book    of 
the  Wars  of  Yahaweh,  and  the  similar  collecting  of  liturgies. 
The  latter  grew   as   the   historical   legal   collections   grew,   pari 
passu,  very  gradually,  especially  in  connection  with  the  greater 
sanctuaries.     As  in  the  historical-legal  documents  we  have  the 
Yahawistic   narrative,   embodying   legislation    from   Judah    (J), 
the     Elohistic     from     Israel     (E),     and     Deuteronomy     from 
Shechem,   worked   over   in   Jerusalem,   with    an   ultimate   com- 
bination of  all  before  the  Exile;  then  in  and  after  the  Exile 
the   Holiness   Laws   from  the  Temple   at  Jerusalem,   and   ulti- 
mately a  book  of  the  laws  and  antiquities  of  the  Jews;  so  in 
the    Psalter   we   have   an    early   Judean   collection    of    liturgies 
or   Psalms,  marked  like  the  Yahawistic  narrative    (J)    by   the 
use  of  the  divine  name,  Yahaweh,  an  early  Elohistic  collection 
from  Israelite  shrines,  like  the  Elohistic  narrative  (E),  marked 
by  the  divine  name  Elohim,  and  a  collection  corresponding  in 
a  way  in  its  origin  and  composition  to  Deuteronomy,  namely, 
the  Prayers  of  David  the  son  of  Jesse  (51-72).    All  these  were 
brought   together   to    constitute   a    Psalter    for   the    Temple    at 
Jerusalem    much    in    the    same    way    and    at    about    the    same 


52  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

time  that  the  Yahawistic  narrative,  the  Elohistic  narrative 
and  Deuteronomy  were  combined  to  constitute  what  we  may 
call  a  manual  of  the  Hebrew  cult.  This  Psalter  or  col- 
lection of  liturgies  consisted  of  the  first  three  books  of 
our  present  Psalter  (1-89).  Later  were  collected  and  added 
the  two  latter  books  (90-150),  which  correspond  similarly  in 
date  and  character  to  the  post-exilic  book  of  the  laws  and 
antiquities  of  the  Jews.  ^  The  Psalter  as  a  whole,  as  well 
as  most  individual  Psalms  and  collections  of  Psalms,  was 
referred  back  to  David,  as  were  the  laws  and  histories  of 
the  origins  to  Moses,  traditions  which  have  the  same  meaning 
and   the    same    validity    in    each   case. 

The  growth  of  these  collections  of  Psalms  was  gradual,  as 
was  the  growth  of  the  codes  of  laws  and  the  narratives,  and 
the  marks  of  growth  are  visible  in  the  collections  as  wholes 
and   in  individual   Psalms. 

Just  as  in  the  Judean  and  Israelite  laws  and  narratives  we 
have  parallels,  not  borrowed  one  from  another  but  variants  of 
the  same  original,  so  in  the  Judean  and  Israelite  collections 
of  Psalms  we  have  similar  parallels  (14  —  53;  40"""  ==^  70), 
the  same  liturgies  in  variant  versions.  As  we  have  in  the 
laws  a  certain  special  vocabulary,  which  from  the  small 
fragments  of  Phoenician  laws  and  the  Babylonian  laws  which 
have  come  down  to  us  would  seem  to  have  originated  in 
the  pre-Israelite  period,  so  we  have  also  a  special  liturgical 
vocabulary  which  from  comparison  with  Babylonian  psalmody 
would  seem  to  have  had  a  very  early,  pre-Israelite  origin, 
and  to  have  persisted  in  large  measure  unchanged  from 
the  earliest  to  the  latest  days  of  Hebrew  psalmody.  Only 
the  evidences  of  growth  and  recension  and  adaptation  are 
more  evident  in  the  Psalms  than  in  the  laws,  and  extend 
to  a  later  period;  just  as  in  modern  religious  practice  hymns 
change  more  than  laws,  usages  and  doctrines.  Indeed  it  is 
often  said  that  no  hymn  is  sung  in  its  original  form  a  hundred 
years  after  its  composition,  and  new  hymns,  often  suggested 
by  or  derived  from  older  hymns  which  they  supplant,  are 
continually  being  introduced,  at  the  same  time  that  the  gen- 
eral form  and  phraseology  of  hymnody  persist  with  a  re- 
markable tenacity. 

^For  the  story  of  the  origin  and  growth  of  the  historical  narratives 
and  legal  collections  see  Peters,  Religion  of  the  Hebrczvs,  chap.  I,  or  any 
modern  history  of  Israel,  or  introduction  to  the  Old  Testament. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  53 

The  evidence  from  the  earlier  prophets  and  the  historical 
writings  to  the  existence  of  particular  Psalms  is  as  uncertain 
and  elusive  as  in  the  case  of  individual  laws  or  collections 
of  laws.  It  is  not  until  we  enter  what  may  be  called  the 
scribal  period,  toward  the  close  of  the  4th  century  B.  C,  that 
quotations  of  or  direct  references  to  either  Psalms  or  laws 
are  really  in  evidence.  From  the  beginning  of  the  writing 
period  onward,  however,  there  is  evidence  in  the  other  Hebrew 
scriptures  of  the  existence  of  a  body  of  law  and  of  psalmody,  in 
basic  content  that  which  has  come  down  to  us.  We  have 
throughout  the  early  historical  writings  references  to  the 
accompaniment  of  sacrifice  and  religious  rites  with  music  and 
song.  The  poetic  form  of  the  earliest  prophetic  writings 
testifies  to  a  considerable  period  of  development,  and  its  kin- 
ship to  the  liturgical  poetry,  which  we  know  to  have  existed 
from  the  earliest  times,  suggests  its  dependence  on  and  deriva- 
tion from  that.  The  earliest  historical  writings,  based  on 
earlier  traditions,  tell  of  the  composition  of  such  liturgies 
for  festival  occasions,  and  give  us  specimens  of  the  same, 
identical  in  form  or  scheme  with  our  psalmody,  or  perhaps 
better  bearing  the  same  relation  to  our  Psalms  as,  for  instance, 
the  poems  of  Bernard  of  Cluny  bear  to  the  hymns  we  have 
derived  from  them  ^  (cf.  Ex.  15,  Judges  5,  2  Sam.  22,  23, 
Deut.   32).     Such  a  passage  as  Amos   5^^'^*^   testifies   to  the 


1  "Jerusalem  the  Golden,"  "O  mother  dear,  Jerusalem,"  "For  thee, 
O  dear,  dear  country,"  from  his  de  contemptu  Mundi  after  centuries  of 
forgetfulness.  Similarly  the  rediscovery  of  Bernard  of  Clairvaux's 
Jesus  dulcis  Memoria,  and  hymns  from  that.  From  Pope's  Messiah  the 
hymn  "Rise,  crowned  with  light."  From  Lowell's  poems  "Once  to  every 
man  and  nation,"  so  popular  during  the  war.  Shorter  hymns  come  out 
of  longer  hymn  poems,  like  Ken's  "Glory  to  thee  my  God  this  night,"  from 
his  sequence  of  morning,  evening  and  midnight  hymns,  each  ending  with 
the  grand  doxology,  "Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow" ;  and 
today  these  hymns  and  this  doxology  are  sung  with  many  variations. 

^"I  hated,  I  scorned  your  feasts ; 
I  smell  [the  savor  of  sacrifice]   not  in  your  festivals, 
Tho  ye  give  Me  whole  burnt ; 
And  in  your  meal  offering  I  have  no  pleasure ; 
And  for  your  peace-feasts  of  fatlings  I  care  not. 
I  would  away  with  the  noise  of  your  songs ; 
And  the  psalm  of  your  harps  I  hear  not. 
Like  the  waters  let  justice  flow, 
And  righteousness  like  a  constant  stream." 


54 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


use  in  Amos'  time  of  psalmody  with  sacrifice,  and  to  the 
kinship  in  form  and  phraseology  of  that  psalmody  with  the 
Psalms  of  our  Psalter.  In  the  book  of  the  priest  prophet 
Jeremiah  we  find  the  familiar  thank  offering  tehillah  quoted 
{33''),  of  those  who  when  they  bring  the  thank  offering 
to  the  House  of  Yahaweh  say: 

"Give  thanks  to  Yahaweh  Sabaoth, 
For  Yahaweh  is  good, 
For  everlasting  is  His  love." 

In  his  prophecies  we  find  also  Psalms  composed  on  familiar 
Psalm  models  (18  ^^--\  20  '-^')}  In  other  places  he  uses 
language  evidently  suggested  by  some  Psalm  of  the  same 
nature  as  those  which  have  come  down  to  us,  especially  in 
the  first  two  books  of  our  Psalter,  So  also  when  the  prophe- 
cies of  Isaiah  were  collected  into  the  three  books  in  which 
they  have  come  down  to  us  (Is.  1-12,  13-27,  28-35),  each  sec- 
tion was  concluded  with  a  passage  of  song,  the  earliest  collec- 
tion (1-12)  closing  with  tv/o  Psalms  which  for  phraseology, 
form  and  motive  might  have  been  borrowed  from  the  Psalter 


Cf.  with  this  Ps.  40'-°  (of  Book  1)  : 

"Sacrifice  and  offering  give  Thee  no  pleasure, 
Whole  burnt  and  sin  offering  Thou  has  not  required. 
Then  said  I,  Lo,  I  am  come; 
To  do  Thy  will,  O  God,  my  pleasure"; 


and  Ps.  5 


"For  Thou  hast  no  pleasure  in  sacrifice, 
Whole  burnt  Thou  desirest  not. 
God's  sacrifice  is  a  broken  spirit, 
A  heart  broken  and  contrite 
Thou,  God,  despiseth  not." 


^These  Psalms  are  reminiscent  of  Psalms  31,  35  and  41  of  Book  I,  and 
55-57  of  Book  II  of  our  Psalter;  apparently  also  of  109  of  the  latter  books 
(but  see  in  loco).  The  occasion  assigned  for  the  composition  of  these 
Psalms  by  Jeremiah  confirms  the  argument  as  to  the  character  and  oc- 
casion of  Hebrew  psalmody  presented  in  the  previous  pages.  The  thank 
offering  tehillah  cited  in  Jeremiah  is  the  basis  or  motive  of  several  Psalms 
in  the  latter  books,  as  100,  106,  107,  118. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  55 

(Is.  12)/  In  general  the  earlier  prophets  from  Amos  onward 
make  use  of  models  evidently  familiar  in  form  and  tone  and 
identical  with  our  psalmody. 

It  has  already  been  pointed  cut  that  in  determining  date 
the  collections  must  be  treated  as  entities;  that  the  collections 
of  the  first  three  books  are  earlier  than  the  collections  of  the 
last  three  books,  separated  from  them  not  only  in  time,  but 
by  some  great  change;  that  generally  speaking  individual 
Psalms  of  the  earlier  collections  are  earlier  than  individual 
Psalms  of  the  later  collections,  although  late  Psalms  have 
been  added  to  the  earlier  collections ;  that  the  last  Psalms 
of  any  collection  are  apt  to  be  later  than  the  earlier  ones; 
that  individual  Psalms  were  revised,  changed  and  added  to, 
even  in  the  earliest  collections,  until  a  late  date,  and  that 
it  is  as  a  rule  in  the  latter  part  of  individual  Psalms  that  the 
latest  additions  are  to  be  found.  With  these  premises  as  to 
comparative  let  us  interrogate  the  various  collections  for  further 
evidence  of  actual  dates. 

From  the  headings,  as  from  the  form  and  content,  it  is 
evident  that  Ps.  1  and  2  did  not  originally  belong  to  the 
first  book  of  Psalms.  That  consisted  of  Psalms  3-41.  From 
this  larger  collection  stands  out  by  its  fuller  provision  with 
musical  and  liturgical  notes  a  smaller  collection,  3-14  (more 
particularly  3-10).  Psalms  16  24  (and  more  particularly 
18-22)  constitute  another  somewhat  less  marked  liturgical 
group,  and  30-41  another;  while  25-29  are  practically  without 
liturgical  notes.  In  the  first  group  are  Psalms  for  morning 
and  evening  sacrifice  (3-5),  for  sin  offering  (6)  and  for 
secret  sins  (7).  Four  Psalms  of  this  group  are  provided 
with  sclahs    (3,   4,    7,   9)    and   one    (9,    10)    is   an   alphabetic 


^  These  Psalms  are  reminiscent  of  Ex.  15,  familiar  to  the  psalmists 
(Cf.  Ps.  118),  and  quote  word  for  word  a  verse  of  some  older  hymn 
which  forms  the  caption  of  Ps.  105.  They  seem  to  be  allied  in  general 
to  Psalms  of  the  later  books  of  the  Psalter,  a  suggestion  of  the  rela- 
tively late  date  at  which  the  Prophets  were  finally  edited.  The  original 
book  of  Isaiah  consisted  of  chapters  1-12.  That  this  collection  was 
closed  with  a  burst  of  psalmody  is  testimony  to  the  high  place  occupied 
by  psalmody  at  that  period.  When  later  the  Burdens  of  the  Nations 
(13-27)  and  the  Five  Woes  (28-35)  were  added,  each  of  these  books  was 
concluded  with  a  long  section,  largely  lyrical.  In  Deutero-Isaiah  there  are 
also  outbursts  of  psalmody,  in  lyric  verse,  such  as  42  ^^  ^  51  '  ff,  more  par- 
ticularly akin  in  form  and  tone  to  Psalms  in  the  Prayer  of  Moses  (90-99)  ; 
but  compare  also  for  the  mythology  of  51  ^  Ps.  89  i°. 


56  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

acrostic.  In  group  2  we  have  the  one  miktam  and  the  one 
tephillah  of  this  book  (16,  17),  a  Psalm  for  morning  sacrifice 
(22),  and  three  Psahns  provided  with  selahs,  two  for  the 
royal  sacrifice  before  battle  (20)  and  the  te  deum  after  vic- 
tory (21),  and  one  for  bringing  in  the  Ark  (24).  In  this 
collection  also  is  the  great  Psalm  (18)  ascribed  to  David  in 
2  Sam.  22,  and  perhaps  contained  in  the  Book  of  Yasher. 
In  the  third  group  are  the  one  maskil  and  the  one  azkara  Psalm 
of  this  book  (32,  38),  the  former  provided  with  selahs,  as  is 
also  39,  and  the  Psalm  (30)  for  the  Dedication  of  the  Temple, 
as  also  one  very  full  alphabetic  acrostic  (2)7).  In  these  three 
groups  also  are  the  four  Psalms  of  this  book  provided  with 
historical  headings  3,  7,  18,  34. 

The  musical,  ritual  and  other  headings  and  annotations  in 
the  Psalms  of  these  groups  do  not  apparently  mark  them 
out  as  earlier  in  origin.  I  fancy  that  they  are  thus  annotated 
because  they  were  the  Psalms  most  frequently  used  in  the 
Temple  services,  and  hence  most  carefully  organized  from 
the  ritual  standpoint.  There  is,  however,  this  much  evidence  of 
growth,  that  the  last  Psalms  of  this  book  seem  later  than  their 
predecessors,  and  that  Psalms  to  which  we  seem  able  to  assign 
a  very  early  origin,  such  as  18,  19^,  24,  29,  and  perhaps  20,  21, 
occur  not  much  later  than  the  middle  of  the  book. 

In  content  the  Psalms  of  this  book  are  more  varied  than  those  of 
any  other  book,  suggesting  a  greater  range  in  time  and  a  broader, 
less  ecclesiastical  life.  Psalms  like  3-7,  20-22,  24  were  evi- 
dently composed  to  accompany  specific  rituals,  others  read 
like  poems  (a  diiTerence  to  be  found,  by  the  way,  in  modern 
hymns),  especially  the  great  nature  hymns,  8,  18,  19*,  29,  two 
of  which,  18  and  29,  seem  very  close  to  the  worship  of 
Yahaweh  as  the  God  of  the  storm,  and  one  of  them,  19  % 
to  the  worship  of  the  sun.  All  are  primitive  and  strong. 
The  great  Davidic  song  (18),  tne  royal  battle  hymns  (20,  21) 
and  the  Ark  Psalm  (24),  furnish  indisputable  evidence  of 
an  early  pre-exilic  period  (see  in  loco),  and  the  evidence  from 
Jeremiah,  given  above,  would  seem  to  show  that  this  col- 
lection was  in  use  as  a  Temple  hymn  book  in  his  day. 
The  last  two  Psalms  of  this  collection,  40  and  41,  are 
somewhat  different  in  tone  from  the  preceding,  suggesting, 
as  stated,  growth  in  the  collection.  The  former  is  related 
to    that    "new    thing,"    "new    song,"    literature,    of    which    we 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  57 

find  the  beginnings  in  Jeremiah  (31  ")  and  Ezekiel  (11  ", 
18",  36-°),  and  which  is  so  marked  in  Deutero-Isaiah  (42  ^ 
48  ^  53  ^^  62  2,  65",  66^2),  appearing  also  in  the  post-exilic 
Psalms  96,  98,  144  and  149.  It  is  also  strongly  anti-sacrificial, 
in  which  it  is  at  one  with  the  prophets  Amos,  Isaiah  and 
Jeremiah.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  these  two  Psalms  belong 
to  the  final  rounding  up  of  the  collection  about  or  not  long 
before  the  time  of  Jeremiah.  But  while  this  collection  as  a 
Psalm  book  was  pre-exilic  it  received  later  additions,  such  as 
the  substitution  of  10  for  the  second  half  of  9,  the  addition 
of  33  to  32,  and  the  addition  of  19  b,  the  latter  certainly  as 
late  as  the  time  of  Ezra  (the  first  half  of  the  4th  cent..  B.  C), 
while  many  Psalms  show  marks  of  revision  during  or  after 
the  Exile  (as  14,  22,  35,  38,  39).  This  collection  began  in 
the  time  of  David,  with  the  organization  of  the  cult  of  the 
Ark  shrine  at  Jerusalem,  it  was  completed  at  or  before  the 
time  of  Jeremiah  (624  B.  C),  so  far  as  its  cadre  was  con- 
cerned, but  underwent  revisions  and  recensions  up  to  and 
perhaps  beyond  the  middle  of  the  fourth  pre-Christian  cen- 
tury. 

In  our  present  arrangement  of  the  Psalter  this  first  Davidic, 
or  Jerusalem,  Psalm  book  is  followed  by  the  song  book  of 
the  Sons  of  Korah  (42-49),  that  by  one  Psalm  from  the 
Asaph  song  book  (50),  and  that  by  a  second  Davidic  or 
Jerusalem  Psalter  (51-72).  Manifestly  there  has  been  a 
dislocation  here,  as  in  the  first  book  of  Isaiah,  where  the 
passage  9  ^-10  *  belongs  between  5  ^*  and  5  ^^■^°,  or  perhaps 
better  vice  versa,  5  ^^•^'^,  after  9  ^-10  *.  It  is  as  though  one  or 
more  sections  of  a  long  roll  had  become  unsewed,  and  been 
sewn  in  again  at  the  wrong  place.  Whatever  the  cause, 
clearly  the  Davidic  collection  51-72  should  succeed  immediately 
the  Davidic  collection  3-41,  constituting  the  second  book  of 
the  Psalter;  the  song  books  of  the  Sons  of  Korah  (42-49), 
and  of  Asaph  (50,  73-83),  with  the  Korah  supplement  (84-89), 
forming  the  third  book. 

Unlike  Book  I  the  Prayers  of  David  are  almost  monot- 
onously homogeneous.  Psalms  51-64  (and  more  particularly 
51-60)  are  a  collection  of  penitentials,  to  use  a  phrase  which 
has  become  familiar  from  the  study  of  Sumerian-Babylonian 
psalmody.  To  this  collection  was  added  a  group  of  very 
different  character,  65-68,  the  first  a  harvest  and  the  last 
originally    an    Ark    hymn,    all    more    or    less    joy    hymns,    and 


58  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

two  of  them,  66  and  67,  not  ascribed  to  David.  Then  follow 
three  more  penitentials  (69-71),  of  which  one  (70)  is  a  variant 
of  a  Psalm  of  the  first  book  (40*^),  while  the  last  (71)  is 
not  ascribed  to  David.  The  last  Psalm  of  this  collection  (72) 
is  a  hymn  of  or  to  the  king,  generally  described  as  the  ideal 
or  Messianic  king,  in  not  a  few  respects  reminding  one  curi- 
ously of  old  Sumerian  hymns  to  or  for  kings  of  Ur  at  their 
accession  or  birthday  feasts.  This  is  ascribed  to  Solomon. 
At  the  close  of  this  book  is  a  doxology  (72  ^^-  ^^)  much  longer 
and  more  elaborate  than  that  of  the  first  book  (41  ^^),  and 
distinctly  Deuteronomic  in  language. 

This  book  is  much  more  carefully  organized  from  the  musi- 
cal and  liturgical  standpoint  than  any  other  collection  in  the 
Psalter.  Every  Psalm  is  provided  with  musical  headings 
except  the  last  two,  and  eleven  of  them  with  selahs.  The 
maskils  and  miktams,  four  of  each,  are  brought  together  in 
two  consecutive  groups;  similarly  the  three  al-tashheths.  Up 
to  and  including  63  most  of  the  Psalms  are  provided,  as 
already  pointed  out,  with  historical  headings  from  Samuel, 
showing  that  those  who  organized  and  annotated  this  collec- 
tion were  acquainted  with  the  earlier  but  not  the  later  his- 
torical writings.  Four  of  the  Psalms  are  clearly  pre-exilic: 
the  earlier  part  of  68,  a  processional  for  the  Ark;  61  and  63, 
for  the  royal  sin  offering  (Lev.  4^-^);  and  51.  The  latter 
Psalm  has  a  sacrificial  ending  (18  fT)  quite  contradictory  in 
spirit  to  the  preceding  anti-sacrificial  verses,  and  clearly  exilic, 
evidence  of  the  pre-exilic  date  of  the  preceding  verses.  As  already 
pointed  out,  Jeremiah  seems  to  have  been  acquainted  with 
this  Psalm  book,  as  with  book  I.  In  origin  the  collection 
was  Israelite,  but  worked  over  for  use  in  Jerusalem,  i.  e., 
made  into  a  Davidic  Psalm  book,  precisely  as  the  book  of 
Deuteronomy,  belonging  in  its  origin  to  the  Joseph  shrine  at 
Shechem,  was  made  into  a  code  for  the  Ark  shrine  at  Jeru- 
salem.^ Apparently  this  collection  was  from  the  same  source, 
originally  a  Psalm  book  of  Shechem,  converted  into  a  Psalm 
book  for  Jerusalem  under  the  same  auspices  as  Deuteronomy. 
Hence  the  more  careful  and  systematic  arrangement,  and 
hence   the   strongly   prophetic,   anti-sacrificial    note   with   which 


*  Deuteronomy  is  designated  (31 '")  as  a  book  to  be  placed  by  the  side 
of  the  Ark  in  the  inner  sanctuary;  and  Hilkiah  the  priest  claims  to  have 
found  it  there  (2K  22  8). 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  "       59 

it  commences  (Ps.  51).  I  have  indicated  the  notes  of  growth, 
especially  toward  the  end  (65-68).  Psalm  72,  and  perhaps 
also  71,  is  a  later  addition.  Several  Psalms,  like  51,  show 
revision  and  additions  at  the  end,  and  68  is  decidedly  com- 
posite and  of  diverse  dates;  but  in  general  there  is  much  less 
recension,  revision  and  addition  of  new  material  than  in 
Book  I. 

The  colophon :  "The  Prayers  of  David  the  son  of  Jesse,  are 
ended,"  may  belong  not  merely  to  this  book,  but  to  the  pre- 
ceding also,  indicating  the  end  of  the  entire  series  of  Davidic 
Psalms  at  that  period;  for,  as  will  be  noticed,  the  remaining 
early  collections  were  professedly  non-Davidic.  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that  at  the  same  time  that  the  Messianic  hymn  72 
was  added  at  the  end  of  this  double  collection  of  Davidic 
Psalms  the  Messianic  hymn  2  was  prefixed,  so  that  the  whole 
Davidic  collection  was  framed  by  two  hymns,  not  ascribed 
to   David,    describing   or   celebrating   the   ideal   king. 

Quite  different  in  character  is  the  Psalter  of  the  Sons 
of  Korah  (42-49).  By  general  consent  from  the  standpoint 
of  art  this  collection  represents  the  most  finished  lyric  poetry 
of  the  Bible,  although  not  the  most  forceful.  From  the 
standpoint  of  spiritual  experience  it  falls  below  other  collec- 
tions which  are  poetically  its  inferiors.  Linguistically  it  stands 
by  itself,  finding  its  closest  affinities  with  the  Asaph  Psalter 
(51,  73-83).  In  content,  like  Book  I,  it  is  varied  and  broad, 
as  against  ecclesiastical,  in  range.  The  title  "of  the  sons  of 
Korah"  prefixed  to  each  Psalm  except  43,  which  is  really 
part  of  42,  is  an  evidence  of  the  origin  of  the  collection. 

According  to  the  genealogy  of  the  Priest  Code,^  Korah  was 
a  descendant  (grandson)  of  Kohath.  According  to  this  gene- 
alogy, further,  while  Kohath  was  the  second  son  of  Levi 
(Gershon  or  Gershom  being  the  eldest  son),  yet  the  Kohathites 
were  the  important  gens  of  the  Levites,  to  which  both  Moses 
and  Aaron,  and  consequently  the  priesthoods  of  both  the  tem- 
ple of  Dan  and  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  belonged.  It  is  to  be 
noted,  further,  that  in  the  genealogy  Korah  is  the  father  of 
Abiasaph  (father  of  Asaph),  i.e.,  the  great  ancestor  of  Asaph. 
If  this  Asaph  is  to  be  connected  with  the  singing  guild  of 
Asaph,  as  is,  I  think,  intended,  the  Korahites  would  then 
be  the  ancestors  or  prototypes  of  the  Asaphites. 


1  Ex.  Ci'^ff;  also  in  the  second  numbering,  Num.  26  ^^ff. 


60  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Turning  now  to  the  later  lists  of  Chronicles,  we  find  first 
in  the  brief  general  list  of  the  priestly  genealogy  (I  Ch.  5  ^^  ^) 
the  Kohathites  recorded  as  the  gens  from  which  Moses  and 
Aaron,  and  through  the  latter  the  Zadokite  priesthood  of  the 
Jerusalem  Temple  from  Solomon  on,  were  descended.  In  the 
more  detailed  list  (1  Ch.  6^^)  Samuel  the  prophet  appears 
as  a  Kohathite.  In  the  list  of  the  singers,  contained  in  the 
same  chapter  (v.  ^^^),  where  the  object  is  to  show  that  all 
the  original  Levitical  gentes  were  represented  in  the  service 
of  the  Temple,  Heman,  a  descendant,  through  Samuel,  Elkanah 
and  Abiasaph,  of  Korah,  represents  the  Kohathites;  Asaph,  the 
Gershonites ;  and  Ethan,^  the  gens  of  Merari.  Similarly  in  I  Ch. 
26  ^■^'*,  supposed  to  represent  the  organization  of  the  Temple 
service  in  David's  time,  the  three  gentes  are  represented  as 
guardians  of  different  parts  of  the  Temple,  the  Korahites 
(Kohathites)  and  the  sons  of  Merari  being  doorkeepers,  and 
the  Gershonites  in  charge  of  the  treasury.  (But  here  there 
is  a  curious  confusion  in  that  Korah  is  the  son  of  Asaph, 
and  Gershom  the  son  of  Moses).  With  this  list  agrees  the  list 
of  the  first  inhabitants,  in  I  Ch.  9,  in  so  far  that  the  Korahites 
(v.  ^®)  are  keepers  of  the  gates  of  the  tabernacle,  their  fathers 
having  been  keepers  of  the  entry  of  the  camp.  But  in  this 
list  the  Korahites  (v.  ^^)  are  also  included  among  the  singers. 
In  I  Ch.  16,  Asaph  is  prominent  among  the  musicians,  when 
David  brings  in  the  Ark,  and  the  leader  in  the  song  then  sung 
(v.  ^).  But  in  II  Ch.  20",  when  the  good  Jehoshaphat  or- 
ganizes his  army  on  a  Levitical  basis,  it  is  the  Korahites,  of  the 
Kohathites,   who   are   the   singers,   singing  the   self -same  thing 

(v."). 

Turning  to  what  may  be  regarded  as  more  nearly  contem- 
poraneous documents,  representing  the  organization  of  the  sec- 
ond temple,  the  identical  lists  in  Ezra  (2*^)  and  Nehemiah 
(7**)  of  those  who  returned  with  Zerubbabel,  the  singers 
(128  or  148  in  number)  were  sons  of  Asaph,  and  there  are 
no  Korahites   at  all. 


1  An  interesting  comment  on  this  is  the  headings  of  Psahns  88  and  89, 
in  which  these  Psalms  are  ascribed  respectively  to  Heman  and  to  Ethan 
the  Ezrahites.  With  this  cf.  I  K.  5",  and  II  Ch.  2  6,  from  which  it 
v/ould  appear  that  Hem.an  and  Ethan  are  the  names  of  traditional  wise 
men,  afterwards  incorporated  in  the  genealogies  of  Chronicles.  Else- 
where Ezrahite  signifies  aboriginal,  and  the  title  Ezrahite  is  therefore 
a  designation  of  antiquity. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  61 

Through  the  more  or  less  conflicting  statements  of  these 
lists  it  is  apparent  that  in  the  later  period  the  name  of 
Asaph  was  particularly  connected  with  the  Temple  music, 
but  that  the  tradition  persisted  of  an  earlier  Korahitic  guild 
of  singers,  antedating  Asaph,  and  from  whom  Asaph  was  in 
fact  descended,  belonging  to  the  great  Kohathite  gens  of  the 
Levites. 

The  Korahites  are  further  mentioned  in  the  Priest  Code 
in  two  curious  stories,  now  combined  with  one  another,  and 
with  the  story  of  Dathan  and  Abiram  the  Reubenites,  con- 
tained in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  chapters  of  Numbers. 
According  to  one  of  these  stories,  which  is  regarded  as  belong- 
ing to  the  original  Priest  Code,  the  Korahites  rebel  against  the 
whole  system  of  Levitical  caste  ;^  according  to  the  other,  which 
belongs  to  the  later  additions  to  the  Priest  Code,^  they  rebel 
against  the  special  privileges  of  the  Zadokite  or  Aaronic  priest- 
hood, claiming  equal  privileges  for  Levite  with  Aaronite. 
For  this  they  are  consumed  with  fire.  But  that  this  destruc- 
tion by  fire  is  theoretical,  not  actual,  is  stated  later  in  the  same 
book.^  The  obvious  connection  of  these  two  stories  is  (a) 
with  the  statement  (1  K.  12")  that  Jeroboam  "made  priests 
from  the  whole  of  the  people  which  were  not  of  the  sons  of 
Levi";  and  (b)  with  the  efforts  of  the  reformers  of  Josiah's 
time  to  associate  the  Levites  of  the  high  places  with  the  priest- 
hood of  the  Jerusalem  Tempel  on  an  equal  footing.  These 
two  stories,  later  combined  in  one,  represent  two  moments 
in  the  struggle  of  the  priesthood  of  the  Jerusalem  Temple  to 
assert  and  maintain  its  claim  to  exclusive  privilege.  They  are 
the  anathema  directed  primarily  against  the  priests  of  the 
rival  temples  of  Bethel  and  Dan,  and  secondly  against  the 
Levites  of  the  high  places,  and  cast  in  the  form  of  a  story 
of  a  rebellion  against  Moses  and  Aaron,  and  a  condign  and 
terrible  punishment   from   God   therefor. 

But  one  naturally  asks :  Why  should  the  Korahites  be  singled 
out  from  all  the  other  Levites  as  the  forefront  of  the  offence? 


INU    16   la,   2b-7a,  18-24,  27a,  32b,   35^    glgo   yy,   41-50    (Heb.    17    8-lS). 

2Nu.  16  7b-ii.  16-17^  also  vv.  8«-*o  (Heb.  17  i-s). 

3  Nu.  26  11 :  "The  sons  of  Korah  died  not."  Later  in  the  same  chapter, 
in  the  second  numbering,  the  Korahites  are  mentioned  as  one  of  the  great 
families  of  the  Levites,  Nu.  26  ^v  ff. 


62  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

It  was  their  claim  of  Mosaic  descent,^  together  with  the 
prominence  of  the  Korahites  as  an  important,  presumably 
in  that  time  the  dominant  family  of  the  Kohathite  gens  of  the 
Levites,  in  control  of  the  great  temple  of  Dan,  which  led 
to  the  direction  against  them  of  the  anathema  of  the  Jerusalem 
priesthood,  contained  in  the  original  Korah  story,  on  the 
ground  that  they  admitted  to  priestly  service  in  their  temple 
those  not  of  the  tribe  of  Levi.  By  natural  accretion,  when 
the  real  Korahites  had  actually  passed  away,  the  same  name 
was  used  in  the  addition  to  the  original  anathema  by  which, 
with  increasing  claims  of  exclusive  rights,  the  Jerusalem 
priests  opposed  the  admission  into  their  number  of  the  Levites 
of  the  high  places.  According  to  the  story  of  the  tribe  of 
Dan  contained  in  Judges  18,  19,  the  priesthood  of  the  Dan 
temple  claimed  descent  from  Moses  (18^°),  Aaron's  greater 
brother,  of  the  Korah  clan  of  the  Kohath  gens  of  the  Levites, 
therefore  akin  and  equal  to  if  not  greater  than  the  Jerusalem 
priesthood.  With  the  claim  of  the  Jerusalem  priesthood  to  an 
exclusive  position  as  ministers  of  the  legitimate  Hebrew  cult 
this  claim  of  the  priests  of  the  rival  temple  at  Dan  rendered 
the  latter  peculiarly  obnoxious. 

It  is  these  priests  of  the  temple  of  Dan  from  whom  derives 
the  collection  of  Psalms  ascribed  to  the  Sons  of  Korah,  42-49, 
as  also  in  the  main  the  supplementary  collection  (83-89). 

In  the  original  collection  of  Psalms  of  the  Sons  of  Korah, 
we  find  at  least  two  Psalms  with  topographical  allusions 
which  unmistakably  connect  them  with  a  definite  locality.  All 
commentators  agree  in  locating  Psalm  42  by  the  sources  of 
the  Jordan,  at  the  foot  of  Hermon.  So  verse  6  reads  "from 
the  land  of  Jordan,  and  Hermon,  from  Mount  Misar,"  ^  and 
the  following  verse  (7)  is  a  vivid  description  of  the  impres- 
sion made  on  the  mind  by  the  rushing  torrents,  with  their 
roaring  sound,  which   overflow   at   times   the   whole   surround- 


^  According  to  Jud.  18  ^®  the  founder  and  ancestor  of  the  priesthood 
of  Dan  was  Jonathan,  son  of  Gershom.  son  of  Moses.  In  our  Hebrew 
texts  the  name  Moses  has  been  glossed  by  an  n  written  above  the  line, 
and  the  name  thus  formed  pointed,  that  is  vocalized,  Manasseh,  the 
founder  of  the  Samaritan  schism  and  first  high  priest  of  the  temple 
in  Gerizim,  according  to  the  book  of  Nehemiah. 

^  Hebrew  Miz'ar  or  little,  is  the  little  hill,  now  known  as  Tel  Kadi,  by 
the  Jordan  spring,  on  which  the  temple  stood. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  63 

ing  region.^  At  both  Banias  and  Tel  Kadi  you  hear  what 
seems  at  first  to  be  the  roar  of  a  waterfall,  but  is  in  reality 
the  sound  of  the  fountains  of  the  Jordan  springing  out  of 
the  deep  beneath;  but  especially  impressive  is  the  great  foun- 
tain Leddan  at  Tel  Kadi,  the  ancient  Dan,  where  with  a 
mighty  roaring,  as  of  a  distant  cataract,  a  river  springs  full 
born  from  the  ground. 

Not  only  is  the  place  of  origin  of  this  Psalm  unmistakable, 
its  ritual  purpose  is  equally  evident.  In  somewhat  strange 
technical  or  archaic  phraseology  the  7th  verse  tells  us  of  a 
temple  procession-dance,  with  its  song  and  sacrifice,  and  the 
throngs  of  pilgrims  making  festival  {haj)  at  some  shrine. 
It  was  clearly  a  festival  hymn  of  the  Dan  temple,  served  by 
a  Moses-Korah-Kohathite  priesthood,  for  one  of  the  haj  fes- 
tivals, presumably  the  great  haj  of  Tabernacles. 

Psalm  46  also  contains  in  its  first  stanza  a  vivid  description 
of  the  conditions  of  the  country  about  Dan,  where,  owing 
to  the  peculiar  configuration,  an  immense  mountain  area  drain- 
ing into  a  relatively  small  basin,  you  appear  to  be  standing 
immediately  over  a  great  deep.  The  earth  bogs  and  shakes 
beneath,  fountains  well  and  springs  ooze  everywhere,  the 
waters  roar  and  are  troubled,  and  the  very  mountains  round 
about  seem  to  rest  upon  a  great  unstable  sea  beneath,  and 
to  shake  with  the  swelling  thereof.  And  as  though  to  make 
the  allusion  to  the  sanctuary  of  Dan  more  certain,  the  second 
stanza  proceeds : 

"(A   river)      Its   streams   make   glad   the   city   of   God, 
The  shrine  of  the  dwelling  of  the  Highest." 

Surely  this  does  not  describe  nor  apply  to  the  Temple  at 
Jerusalem,  nor  to  any  other  sanctuary  in  Palestine  except 
Dan,  which  it  fits  exactly. 

While  no  other  of  the  Korah  Psalms  in  the  main  collection 
demand  Dan  or  its  neighborhood  or  even  eastern  Galilee  as 
the  necessary  setting  to  explain  their  allusions,  there  are, 
nevertheless,  allusions  in  several  of  the  other  Psalms  of  these 
collections   which    are   best    satisfied   by   such   a    reference,    as, 


1  On  my  first  visit  to  this  region,  in  July,  we  floundered  for  an  hour 
through  a  flood  which  often  rose  to  the  horse's  bell3^  The  words  of  this 
Psalm  were  a  most  exact  description  of  our  situation.  The  great  deep 
beneath  seemed  to  have  poured  itself  forth  upon  us. 


64  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

for  instance,  "sides  of  the  north"  (48'*).  It  is  worthy  of  note, 
further,  that  it  is  the  God  of  Jacob  who  is  the  especial  God 
of  the  Korah  Psalter,  and  the  land  of  these  Psalms  is  the 
"Heritage  of  Jacob."  The  Korah  Psalter,  moreover,  is  Elohis- 
tic,  just  as  the  Pentateuchal  narrative  of  Israel  (E)  is  Elohistic 
in  contrast  with  the  Yahawistic  narrative  (J)  of  Judah. 

It  is  clear  that  the  Korahitic  psalter  had  its  origin  in  north- 
ern Israel,  at  the  temple  of  Dan,  at  an  early  period,  before 
the  Captivity.  The  name  was  derived  from  the  common  title 
of  the  priests  of  that  temple,  when  this  collection  was  adopted 
and  adapted  for  use  in  the  Jerusalem  Temple,  and  the  genealog- 
ical lists  of  Chronicles  are  dependent  for  their  information 
regarding  the  Sons  of  Korah,  so  far  as  that  information  was 
not  derived  from  the  lists  of  the  Priest  Code,  upon  the  preser- 
vation of  the  name  of  Korah  in  connection  with  these  Psalms, 
traditionally  of  ancient  origin,  and  yet  not  ascribed  to  David. 

It  need  occasion  no  surprise  that  we  have  in  the  Jewish 
Psalter  a  book  of  hymns  from  the  temple  of  Dan.  Jew  and 
Israelite  were  one  in  religion  and  in  culture  until  long  after 
the  Exile ;  and,  in  view  of  the  contributions  of  Israel  and 
the  Israelite  shrines  to  the  literature  of  the  Jews  and  the 
cult  of  the  Jerusalem  Temple  in  prophecy  and  legislation, 
it  would  be  strange  if  we  had  no  Israelite  Psalms  and  col- 
lections of  Psalms  in  the  Jewish  Psalter.  Like  the  Israelite 
prophecies  and  legislation,  these  Psalms  were  edited  for  use 
in  the  Jerusalem  Temple.  Sometimes  Yahaweh  has  been 
substituted  for  Elohim,  some  Psalms  are  provided  with 
Yahawistic  refrains,  and  allusions  to  the  temple  of  Dan  have 
been  converted  into  allusions  to  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem. 
There  are  marks  of  later  revisions  and  additions  of  a  post- 
exilic  period  (cf.  especially  43,  44),  but  in  general  the  Korah 
collection  has  come  down  to  us  fairly  in  the  form  in  which 
it  was  adapted  for  use  in  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  at  some 
time  after  the  Assyrian  conquest  of  the  northern  kingdom. 
The  tradition  and  sense  of  its  origin,  however,  were  not  lost. 
It  was  not  a  Davidic  collection,  but  the  song  book  of  the 
Sons  of  Korah.  It  should  be  noted  that  this  collection  is 
abundantly  provided  with  liturgical-musical  notes,  and.  like 
the:  other  Israelite  collections,  it  is   relatively  rich   in  maskils. 

The  similar  Asaph  Psalter,  it  is  natural  to  suppose,  had  its 
origin  in  the  temple  of  Bethel.  Outside  of  the  frequent 
references   to   Joseph,    Ephraim    and    Manasseh,   and    the    like, 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  65 

which  testify  to  a  Samaritan  as  against  a  Gahlean  origin, 
there  is  nothing,  however,  in  the  contents  of  these  Psalms 
which  certainly  determines  the  locality  of  their  origin.  Poeti- 
cally inferior,  ethically  these  Psalms  stand  on  a  higher  plane 
than  the  Psalms  of  the  Korah  hymn  book.  The  first  Psalm 
of  the  collection  especially  reflects  the  ethical,  anti-sacrificial 
attitude  of  the  prophets.  The  cosmogony  of  74  (vv.  12-18) 
and  the  thunder  storm  motive  in  77  (vv.  16flf)  are  distinctly 
primitive,  and  the  great  historical  poem,  78,  is  clearly  pre- 
exilic,  as  is  shown  both  by  the  point  at  which  it  closes  its 
retrospect,  and  also  by  the  fact  that  it  makes  use  only  of 
the  Yahawistic,  Elohistic  and  Deuteronomistic  portions  of  the 
Hexateuch.  As  a  collection  the  Asaph  hymn  book  is  singu- 
larly rich  in  historical  allusions.  From  its  historical  refer- 
ences, as  from  the  ethics  and  general  tone,  it  would  seem 
to  be  in  basis  later  than  the  Korah  Psalter,  from  the  very 
close  of  the  northern  kingdom,  and  in  its  completed  form  it  is 
much  more  Judean  than  the  latter.  It  underwent,  also,  at  a 
later  date,  perhaps  because  of  its  freer  historical  allusions, 
much  more  radical  and  extensive  revisions  than  the  Korah 
book.  Like  the  other  Israelite  collections  it  is  abundantly 
provided  with  liturgical-musical  notes. 

One  is  tempted  to  ask  whether  the  Asaphites  were  not 
priests  of  Bethel  who  became  Levites  ^  of  the  Jerusalem 
temple  under  the  provisions  of  the  Deuteronomic  reform  of 
King  Josiah  (624  B.  C),  bringing  their  hymns  with  them; 
which  might  explain  why  those  hymns  became  so  ultra-Judean 
in  telling  of  God's  rejection  of  Joseph  in  favor  of  Judah,  and 
also  why  Asaph  became  the  guild  of  Levitical  singers  in  the 
second   temple. 

The  third  book  of  the  Psalter  closes  with  six  Psalms,  of 
which  four  are  ascribed  to  the  Sons  of  Korah  (84-87,  88), 
one  {%(i)  is  called  a  Prayer  of  David,  and  two  are  ascribed 
to  Heman  (88,  ascribed  also  to  the  Sons  of  Korah)  and 
Ethan  (89),  the  Ezrahites,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  is  a 
way  of  saying  that  they  come  down  from  a  hoary  antiquity. 
Now  the  Ethan  psalm  (89)  is  very  evidently  a  composite  of 
various    hymns    from    various    dates    and    places.      Verse    13 

reads : 

"North  and  south,  Thou  didst  create  them, 
Tabor  and   Hermon  rejoice  in  Thy  name," 

1  Cf.  Ezra  2  ".  3io  «.  Neh.  7  ".  11  22,  12  35,  47. 


66  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

where  Hermon  and  Tabor  are  manifestly  synonyms  of  north 
and  south.  This  was  evidently  composed  at  some  place  like 
Dan  from  which  these  mountains  were  respectively  the  land 
marks  of  north  and  south.  To  any  one  who  has  traveled 
in  eastern  Galilee  and  oriented  himself  by  those  mountains 
it  bears  the  unmistakable  mark  of  its  origin.  But  if  it 
originated  in  eastern  Galilee,  then  it  is  also  unquestionably 
pre-exilic,  an  old  song,  not  later  than  the  middle  of  the  8th 
century  at  latest,  justifying  the  heading  "of  Heman,  the 
aboriginal." 

This  fits  in  also  with  the  mythological-historical  use  of  the 
destruction  of  Rahab  in  the  preceding  verses.  But  this  and 
other  old  northern  material  has  been  incorporated  in  a  hymn 
of  the  covenant  of  David,  which  uses  only  early  material 
from  Samuel,  but  which  makes  that  covenant  the  plea  for 
deliverance  of  the  Jews  from  captivity,  and  which  must  itself 
date  from  the  Captivity.  In  general  the  Psalms  of  this  little 
collection  use  freely  other  scriotures,  including  Psalms  from 
preceding  collections,  or  are  even  composed,  like  89,  largely 
of  citations  from,  paraphrases  of,  or  enlargements  upon  other 
scriptures,  including  Psalms.  In  point  of  fact,  it  is  a  gleaning 
of  Psalms  originating  in  the  northern  sanctuaries,  which  had 
not  been  incorporated  in  the  previous  collections.  It  is  abun- 
dantly supplied  with  musical  liturgical  notes,  like  all  the 
Israelite  collections,  but,  unlike  those  collections  which  came 
down  as  wholes,  it  has  been  thoroughly  Judaized  in  the  use 
of  the  divine  name.  As  a  collection  it  dates  from  the  Exile, 
when  pious  Jews  were  gathering  and  editing  ancient  material, 
and  was  added  as  a  supplement  to  the  Korah  and  Asaph  col- 
lections, with  a  brief  Yahawistic  doxology  at  the  close,  to 
form  a  third  book.     Here  ends  the  pre-exilic  Psalter. 

From  this  point  on  both  form  and  material  of  the  Psalter 
are  diflferent.  We  have  no  more  musical  notes  (the  excep- 
tions in  109  and  138-144  are  considered  in  loco),  or  his- 
torical headings;  outside  interests  largely  disappear,  and  we 
are  shut  up  within  the  Temple  walls,  a  congregation  not  a 
nation.  As  a  rule  the  Psalms  of  the  latter  books  are  more 
joyful  than  those  of  the  earlier  books,  due  to  the  fact  that 
they  are  based  to  so  large  an  extent  on  the  ancient  praise  cries, 
the  tehillah  and  the  todhah,  which  constitute  an  essential  part 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  67 

of  each  sacrifice.^  They  display  comparatively  little  variety 
of  circumstance,  and  they  have  an  ecclesiastical  tone  quite  in 
contrast  to  the  first  book.  As  poetry  the  Psalms  of  the  two 
latter  books  stand  below  those  of  the  first  three,  as  hymns 
many  of  them  sing  better;  and  so  the  majority  of  the  great 
chants  of  the  Christian  Church,  Vcnite,  Jubilate,  Cantate, 
Bonum  est,  Benedic  and  De  Profundis  are  taken  from  the 
later  books.  Psalms  are  formed  out  of  Psalms  of  the  earlier 
books  or  cite  from  them,  and  before  long  we  find  ourselves 
in  the  legal  period,  singing  the  praises  of  the  Law,  and 
quoting   from  the  completed   Pentateuch. 

Like  the  earlier  the  later  books  also  are  composed  of  a 
number  of  collections  added  one  to  another,  generally  in  chron- 
ological order.  The  first  of  these  is  the  Prayer  of  Moses 
(90-99),  a  collection  of  Psalms  intended  to  go  together,  as 
one  liturgy.  They  are  from  one  hand  or  one  school,  like  the 
prophecies  of  Deutero-Isaiah,  to  which  they  seem  to  be  akin. 
Like  them  they  are  full  of  the  new  things  that  are  to  be  (so 
96  and  98  commence  "O  sing  unto  Yahaweh  a  new  song"), 
for  which  the  old,  that  is  left  behind,  was  a  preparation  and 
foundation.  Like  Deutero-Isaiah  they  conceive  of  Yahaweh 
as  reigning  immediately  in  the  new  kingdom  and  not  through 
a  Davidic  King  (93,  97,  99).  They  are  anti-idolatrous,  also,  like 
Deutero-Isaiah.  Again  they  show  kinship  with  the  Song  of  Moses 
in  Deuteronomy,  and  acquaintance  with  earlier  psalms  (96,  97, 
98,  etc.,  are  from  24,  30,  32,  47,  48,  66). 

Following  this  come  eleven  Psalms  which  apparently  (more 
clearly  101-110)  constitute  a  Davidic  group,  though  not  every 
separate  Psalm  has  that  heading,  several,  as  for  example, 
103-107,  being  grouped  under  one  such  heading.  This  latter 
group  in  fact  constitutes  one  liturgy,  although  the  107th  Psalm 
is  now  divided  from  the  others  by  the  book  division  be- 
tween books  4  and  5.  Psalm  100  is  the  first  of  a  number  of 
Psalms  in  the  latter  books  founded  on  or  built  about  the  old 
sacrificial  cry  of  the  thank  offering,  handed  down  in  the  book 
of  Jeremiah:  "Give  thanks  unto  Yahaweh,  for  He  is  good" 
(cf.  105-107,  118,  136),  and  has  a  liturgical  heading  desig- 
nating   it    for    the    thank    offering    service.       Psalm     102    is 


^  Cf.  also  the  attitude  of  the  post-exilic  prophets  Haggai  and  Zecha- 
riah,  and  especially  the  latter's  demand  that  the  religion  of  the  Jews 
shall  be  joy,  not  sorrow,  feasting  not  fasting. 


68  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

designated  as  a  penitential,  and  was  clearly  a  hymn  for  national 
penitence  and  supplication  for  the  restoration  of  Jerusalem 
in  the  post-exilic  period,  preceding  Nehemiah's  restoration  of 
the  walls  (cf.  Neh.  1).  The  Psalms  of  this  group  use  freely 
Psalms  of  the  earlier  Psalters ;  so  100  commences  with  the 
first,  or  title  verse  of  66;  103  is  composed  out  of  Psalms 
57,  60;  109  is  redolent  of  earlier  Psalms,  especially  35,  55,  and 
69.^  It  would  seem  as  though  in  general  the  writers  of  the 
Psalms  of  the  later  books  had  behind  them  a  Temple  psalm- 
ody consisting  of  Psalms  of  the  first  three  books,  together 
with  the  ancient  brief  traditional  todhahs  and  tchillahs,  which 
latter  were  now  made  the  basis  of  longer  Psalms.  On  the 
other  hand,  apparently  as  a  result  of  the  Exile,  certain  old 
traditional  musical  and  liturgical  uses  had  changed,  and  the 
names  applied  to  these,  preserved  in  the  old  Psalm  books, 
had  lost  all  significance,  so  that  even  the  earliest  of  the 
collections  of  the  post-exilic  period  are  without  musical  and 
liturgical  notes.  This  group  ends  with  a  Psalm  (110)  which 
reminds  us  in  a  way  of  the  ideal  king  songs  (2,  72)  which 
open  and  close  the  great  double  Davidic  collection  of  the 
earlier  books,  and  which  may  have  been  given  its  present  place 
as  the  closing  Psalm  of  a  new  Davidic  group  for  a  similar  reason; 
only  here  the  ruler  becomes  a  priest,  which  reminds  one  of 
Zechariah's  ultimate  attitude  as  between  Zerubbabel  and  Joshua 
(cf.  Zech.  3,  4,  6), 

Psalms  111-117  are  a  collection  of  tchillahs,  constituting  a 
single  liturgy,  closing  with  a  Psalm  of  two  verses,  apparently 
designed  as  a  doxology  to  that  liturgy.  These  Psalms  do  not 
quote  from  earlier  Psalms,  as  do  some  of  those  in  the  pre- 
ceding group,  but  they  are  full  of  turns  and  phrases  bor- 
rowed from  preceding  Psalms,  including  the  Prayer  of  Moses. 
Only  115  is  original  in  its  composition,  a  Psalm  of  much 
power  and  of  heroic  effect.  In  spite  of  their  lack  of  original- 
ity and  inferiority  as  poetry,  however,  the  Psalms  of  this 
group  sing  well  as  hymns.  Psalm  118  is  a  todhah  or  thank 
offering  Psalm,  the  most  elaborate  and  effective  processional 
in  the  Psalter.     It  was  combined  with  the  preceding  in  later 


^  Perhaps  the  musical  note,  lammcnazseah,  at  the  head  of  this  Psalm 
was  borrowed,  like  so  much  of  its  contents,  from  the  earlier  Psalms, 
and  is  thus  part  of  the  record  of  the  dependence  of  this  Psalm  on  the 
ancient  Psalter. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  69 

Jewish  use  to  constitute  the  Hallel  of  Passover,  Weeks,  Taber- 
nacles, and  other  feasts. 

Psahn  119,  the  Praise  of  the  Law,  is  an  elaborate  acrostic, 
a  booklet  in  itself,  composed  of  22  Psalms  of  8  verses  each, 
for  the  22  letters  of  the  alphabet,  each  verse  of  the  same 
Psalm  beginning  with  the  same  letter,  and  mentioning  the  Law 
by  a  different  title,  eight  in  all. 

Psalms  120-134  are  a  collection  different  from  anything  else 
in  the  Psalter  metrically  and  in  content.  Each  Psalm  of  this 
collection  is  designated  a  "song  of  going  up."  They  are  full 
of  Babylonianisnis  linguistically,  and  of  the  local  color  of  the 
pilgrim  journey  from  Babylonia  to  Jerusalem.  They  are  orig- 
inal in  character,  of  the  nature  of  folk  poetry,  and  were  the 
songs  used  by  pilgrims  to  Jerusalem  from  the  Captivity,  that 
is  the  Jews  who  remained  in  Babylonia  after  the  Exile.  Their 
adoption  into  the  canon  of  the  Psalter  is  due  to  somewhat  the 
same  spirit  which  has  preserved  Ruth  for  us  as  a  holy  book. 
The  original  group  seems  to  have  closed  with  Psalm  131.  To 
this  was  added,  apparently  when  this  collection  was  adopted 
into  the  Psalter,  a  Davidic  Psalm  of  different  character  (132), 
Messianic  in  tone,  based  on  the  Davidic  covenant  as  recorded 
in  the  historical  books,  and  more  particularly  in  Psalm  89. 
It  is  full  of  references  and  allusions  to  previous  scriptures, 
including  various  Psalms.  The  two  remaining  Psalms  of  this 
collection  seem  to  be  gleanings  added  later,  the  last  (134) 
constituting  a  doxology  to  the  collection.  It  was  perhaps 
this  Psalm  which  gave  the  collection  its  peculiar  use  in  the 
Jewish  ritual  in  connertion  with  the  ancient  (cf .  1  Sam.  7  *) 
but  extra  legal  oblation  of  water  on  the  Temple  steps  on  the 
last  night  of  the  feast  of  Tabernacles. 

We  have  evidence  in  the  citation  in  2  Ch.  6  ^°'^^  of  Psalms  ^ 
130  and  132  of  a  date  before  which  the  Pilgrim  Psalter 
had  been  adopted  into  the  Temple  psalmody.  There  is  no 
evidence  that  the  Chronicler  was  acquainted  with  any  of  the 
last  sixteen  Psalms,  and  I  assume  from  this  fact,  combined 
with  certain  other  incidental  evidence,  that  toward  the  end  of 
the  4th  cent.  B.  C.  the  Psalter  closed  with  Psalm  134.  But 
before  this  time,  in  imitation  of  the  Law,  to  which  it  was 
companion.  Psalms  90-134  had  been  divided  into  two  books, 
making  the  total  number  five.  The  evidence  of  this,  as  already 
pointed  out,  is  contained  in  1  Chron.  16  ^■^*',  a  Psalm  ascribed 
to  David,  "to  give  thanks  to  Yahaweh  by  the  hand  of  Asaph 


70  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

and    his    brethren."      Of    this    Psalm    vv.    8-22    are    vv.    1-15 
of  Psalm  105,  vv.  23-33  are  Psalm  96,  v.  34  is  the  old  sacri- 
ficial   cry    of    the    thank    offering    sacrifice.      "Give    thanks    to 
Yahaweh,"  etc.,  used  in  various  later  Psalms,  but  which,  from 
the  quotation  immediately  afterwards  of  the  47th  verse  of  Ps. 
106,^  with  the  preface  "and  say,"  is  to  be  regarded  as  taken 
from  the  title  or  caption  of  that  Psalm.     Moreover,  the   fol- 
lowing  verse   contains    the   doxology   appended    to    this    Psalm 
in   the   Psalter.      This    is    the    old    doxology    of    book    1.      As 
used   in   Book   IV    it   is    followed   by    a    rubric   directing   that 
all    the    people    shall    cry,    "Amen,    halleluiah,"    which    rubric 
is  reproduced  after  the  Psalm  in  Chronicles  in  the  statement 
following  the  doxology:     "And  all  the  people  said,  Amen,  and 
a  hallel   to   Yahaweh,"   leaving   no   doubt   that   the    Chronicler 
had  before  him  our  present  Psalm  text.     As  already  pointed 
out  the  division  into  books  at  this  point  was  infelicitous,  sep- 
arating as  it  does   Psalms  which   belong  together  as  parts  of 
one  whole.     It  was  made  mechanically  by   counting  off   from 
the  beginning  of  Book  IV  as  many  Psalms,  17,  as  there  were 
in  Book  III.- 

By  300  B.  C.  there  were  in  existence  five  books  of  Psalms, 
as  at  present,  but  the  fifth  book  ended  with  Ps.  134,  the  close 
of  the  Pilgrim  Psalter.  Following  this  we  have  a  hallel 
(135)  and  a  todJiah  (136),  companion  pieces,  each  a  mosaic 
of  various  scriptures,  including  the  complete  Pentateuch,  and 
various  Psalms.  Among  others  Ps.  135  uses  134,  evi- 
dence confirmatory  of  that  already  adduced,  that  the  Psalter  { 
once  ended  with  134.  Then  follow  gleanings  of  ancient  Psalms:  | 
a  single  Psalm,  137,  exilic,  in  its  first  part  certainly  resembling  ) 
somewhat  the  Psalms  of  the  Pilgrim  Psalter;  and  a  Davidic  | 
collection  (138-144),  provided  somewhat  sparsely  with  musical-  ■'" 
liturgical  and  historical  notes,  like  the  Psalms  of  the  first 
three  books.  The  last  Psalm  of  this  collection  (144) 
contains  a  song  (vv.  12-14),  much  corrupted  in  transmission, 
of  a  very  peculiar  versification,  of  which  there  is  only  one 
other  specimen  in  the  Bible,  namely  a   folk  song   (Is.   3^^'^*) 


lit   will   be   observed   that   the   citations   of   Chronicles   are   all   from 
the  newer,  last  books  of  Psalms. 

2  Incidentally  this  serves  to  show  that  the  dislocation  of  the  Psalms  ||> 
of  the  second  and  third  books,  noticed  above,  must  have  taken  place  before  •<'' 
this  time. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  71 

which  Isaiah  made  the  text  of  a  prophecy  against  femi- 
nine extravagance  toward  the  close  of  the  eighth  century. 
The  first  part  of  this  Psalm  is  composed  on  and  out  of  the 
great  Davidic  Psalm  of  2  Sam.  22  (Ps.  18).  This  collection 
is  unlike  anything  else  in  the  last  three  books.  It  is  broader 
and  less  ecclesiastical  in  its  contents,  like  the  Psalms  of  the 
first  book.  In  striking  contrast  with  the  joyful  todhahs  and 
hallels  of  the  latter  books  it  is  essentially  a  collection  of  peni- 
tentials,  like  so  large  a  part  of  the  earlier  books.  But  while 
in  these  regards,  as  in  its  musical-liturgical  and  historical  head- 
ings, resembling  the  earlier  Psalters,  it  has  much  also  which 
suggests  a  very  late  origin.  So  Psalm  139,  one  of  the  finest 
hymns  in  the  Psalter  in  thought  and  the  essence  of  poetry, 
is  linguistically  full  of  corruptions,  colloquialisms  and  Arama- 
isms,   a   later   popular   and    impure    Hebrew. 

Perhaps  Psalm  144  gives  a  clue  to  the  problem  of  this 
collection,  namely,  that  we  have  here  a  group  of  ancient 
Psalms,  not  adopted  into  the  earlier  Psalters,  but  for  some 
reason  lingering  on  in  popular  use.  Very  much  as  the  ancient 
stories  of  Job,  Daniel  and  others  lingered  on  among  the 
people,  to  be  reclaimed  and  utilized  by  later  moralists,  patriots 
and  apocalyptics,  so  these  Psalms  lingered,  changed  and  cor- 
rupted in  vernacular  use,  but  still  retaining  much  of  their 
essential  elements,  combined  with  their  ancient  tradition  of 
musical-liturgical  use,  to  be  gleaned  by  those  patriotic  revival- 
ists who  in  the  latter  days  were  seeking  out  and  saving  the 
ancient  things  of  Israel. 

The  Psalter  closes  with  a  great  hallelu-yah  chorus,  designated 
"Tehillah  of  David"  (145-150),  the  greatest  and  most  sus- 
tained outburst  of  praise  in  the  entire  Psalter,  each  Psalm 
beginning  and  ending  with  the  very  ancient  sacrificial  praise 
cry,  except  the  first  (145),  which  is,  as  it  were,  a  prologue 
to  the  whole.  From  its  contents  this  collection,  constituting 
one  liturgical  whole,  is  manifestly  late. 

Quotations  from  this  final  hallelu-yah  chorus  are  contained 
in  the  apocryphal   book  of   Ecclesiasticus,^   showing   that  at  a 


1  Ecclesiasticus  quotes   freely  from  the  Psalter,  70  references  or  cita- 
tions  in   all    from   47    Psalms,    including    every   book    and    every    larger 
:   collection  in  the  Psalter,  except  the  songs  of  Asaph.     The  first  book  of 
i  Maccabees  cites  from  the  last  collection   (1  Mac.  2  '^^  z=.  Ps.  146  *),  as 
also  from  the  Asaph  Psalter  (1  Mac.  7  "  =  Ps.  79  2-3). 


72  THE  PSALMS  AS   LITURGIES 

date  somewhere  between  280  and  180  B.  C.  the  Psalter  was 
complete.  It  was,  I  suppose,  at  this  time,  when  these  final 
collections  were  added  to  the  Psalter,  that  Psalm  1  was 
prefixed  as  a  sort  of  introductory  ode,  and  the  number  of 
Psalms  thus  brought  up  to  150.  The  evidence  of  Ecclesias- 
ticus  to  this  effect  is  confirmed  by  the  testimony  of  the  Sep- 
tuagint  Greek  translation,  which  also  shows  that  at  that  time 
the  Psalms  were  arranged  in  five  books,  provided  with  musical 
and  occasional  headings,  liturgical  directions,  etc.,  as  at  pres- 
ent, and  that  the  number  of  Psalms  was  150,  constituting  a 
canon  to  which  no  more  might  be  added. 

In   both    ancient   and    modern   times    some    critics    have    as- 
cribed  certain    Psalms   to   the    Maccabean   period    (175-150   B. 
C),    and    especially    of    late    there    has    been    a    tendency    to 
ascribe  a  considerable  number  of  Psalms  from  all  parts  of  the 
Psalter '  to  that  time.     This   in  view  of   the   facts   above  pre- 
sented  is,   I   believe,   quite   impossible.      There   is   not   a   Mac- 
cabean   Psalm    in    the    Psalter,    for    the    canon    of    the    Psalter 
was  complete  before  that  period.     It  is  possible,  however,  that 
even  after  the  completion  of  the  canon  so  far  as  the  number     ,. 
of    Psalms    was    concerned    there    may    have    been    revisions     | 
within    the    Psalms    themselves,    the    addition,    subtraction    or     | 
modification  of  words,  clauses  and  verses,  but  this  would  not 
have  been  extensive  or  radical. 

There  is  a  passage  in  2  Mac.  (2  ^^-  ^*)  which  may  have, 
as  it  claims,  documentary  historical  evidence  behind  it  with 
regard  to  the  collection  and  final  revision  of  the  Psalter.  Ac- 
cording to  this  writer  there  existed  in  his  time  (ca.  100  B. 
C.)  writings  showing  that  Nehemiah  founded  a  library,  and 
collected  the  Former  and  Latter  Prophets  and  Psalms.  An- 
other Jewish  tradition  ascribes  to  Ezra  the  collection  or  re- 
writing of  the  entire  Scriptures.  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  are 
strangely  confused  in  Hebrew  history.  Together  they  may 
be  said  to  represent  the  great  period  of  post-exilic  revival  and 
reform,  commencing  with  the  rebuilding  of  the  walls  by 
Nehemiah  (440),  and  ending  with  the  adoption  of  the  Law 
and  the  changes  in  worship  connected  with  Ezra's  name 
(circa  380).  This  period  we  should  naturally  expect  to  mark  ^ 
that  change  in  psalmody  which  has  been  so  stressed,  and 
perhaps  we  may  regard  this  tradition  as  further  testimony 
to  the  fact  that  in  that  Nehemiah-Ezra  period  the  formative 
work   was   done  which  gave   us    the   psalmody   of   the   second 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  IZ 

Temple.  The  further  statement  of  this  passage,  that  "J^^as 
gathered  together  for  us  all  those  writings  that  had  been 
scattered,"  may  possibly  similarly  be  regarded  as  evidence 
of  Maccabean  revision. 

Having  endeavored  to  answer  the  question  of  the  age  of  the 
Psalms,  using  so  far  as  possible  external  evidences,  let  us 
now  prove  our  result  by  some  tests  of  internal  evidence.  An- 
alyzing the  references  to  sacrifice  or  matters  pertaining  to 
sacrifice  in  the  Psalter,  we  find  in  the  first  book  sacrifice 
assumed  without  question  (except  in  40).  The  king  is  the 
sacrificer  of  the  nation  (20,  21),  and  his  sacrifices  are  urged 
on  Yahaweh  as  a  ground  for  giving  victory  to  the  nation. 
But  in  Psalm  40  we  meet  the  prophetic  protest  against  the 
childish  sacrificial  view  of  religion.  This  is  more  pronounced 
in  Psalms  50,  51  and  69  of  the  Israelite-Davidic  and  Asaph 
collections,  which  assert  still  more  strongly  the  anti-sacrificial 
views  of  the  prophetic  school.  On  the  other  hand  51  is 
furnished  with  a  sacrificial  appendix,  and  in  the  same  col- 
lection (56^^)  we  find  the  most  anthropomorphic  reference  to 
sacrifice  in  the  whole  Psalter,  as  something  pleasing  to  God 
by  its  savor.  In  the  last  two  books  there  is  almost  no  men- 
tion of  sacrifice  (118^^  is  a  rubric).  On  the  other  hand 
Aaron,  the  priests  and  the  Levites,  who  had  not  been  men- 
tioned in  the  first  three  books,  come  to  the  front.  Judging 
from  these  references,  we  might  say  that  the  first  books 
represent  the  more  primitive  conception  of  religion,  and  re- 
gard sacrifice  as  a  thing  in  itself  pleasing  to  God,  but  also 
reflect  the  battle  waged  against  this  view  by  the  prophets. 
Now  this  battle  began  with  Amos,  reached  its  full  development 
with  Jeremiah,  and  ended  with  the  close  of  the  exilic  period. 
The  final  edition  of  the  Prayers  of  David,  as  represented  by 
the  present  text  of  Ps.  51,  reflects  the  outcome  of  this 
struggle,  not  the  abolition  of  sacrifice,  but  that  mystical  treat- 
ment of  it  which  rendered  possible  the  addition  of  those 
closing  verses.  A  further  development  appears  in  the  last 
books  of  the  Psalter,  where  sacrifice  is  glorified  with  mani- 
fold outbursts  of  hallelu-yah,  but  removed,  as  it  were,  from 
the  everyday  life  of  the  people  into  an  inner  court,  where 
this  side  of  religion  has  become  the  function  of  a  holy  priest- 
hood, carefully  organized  and  set  apart,  who  are  the  leaders 
and  representatives  of  the  congregation. 


74  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Similarly  it  is  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  books  only,  barring 
the  late  introductory  ode  and  the  appendix  to  Psalm  19,  that 
we  find  that  glorification  of  the  Law  which  became  so  marked 
a    feature   in   Jewish   religion   after   the   time   of    Ezra. 

An  analysis  of  mythological  references  in  the  Psalter,  an- 
thropomorphisms in  the  representation  of  the  nature  and  deal- 
ings of  God,  allusions  to  angels,  survivals  of  polytheism,  and 
the  like,  gives  the  same  result  of  a  development  according  to  the 
arrangement  of  the  Psalms  as  we  now  have  them,  and  par- 
ticularly of  a  distinct  cleavage  between  the  fourth  and  fifth 
and  the  first  three  books  of  the  Psalter.  It  is  in  Psalm  86 
that  we  find  the  first  clear  statement,  "Thou  art  God  alone" 
(v.  10)  ;  while  in  the  last  books  we  find  expression  of  the 
idea,  represented  much  earlier  by  the  prophets,  that  the  gods 
of  the  heathen  are  "not  gods"  (96  ^  106  2^).  In  the  earlier 
books,  while  Yahaweh  or  Elohim  is  recognized  as  the  God  of 
Israel,  the  true  God,  and  the  r^reat  God,  the  Psalmists  cannot 
rid  themselves  of  the  idea  that  other  gods  have  an  actual 
existence.  It  is  not  until  the  fourth  and  fifth  books  that 
we  find  those  exalted  conceptions  of  creation,  of  God's  rela- 
tion to  nature,  and  of  His  omniscience,  which  in  the  Hexa- 
teuch  characterize  the  Priest  Code  in  distinction  from  the 
Yahawistic  and  Elohistic  writers  (cf.  Ps.  104  and  139  with 
18,  29,  77,  80). 

In  the  first  book  we  find  the  "Angel  of  Yahaweh"  (34  ', 
35 ''•*),  as  in  the  Yahawist;  in  the  last  books  we  find  some- 
thing of  that  heavenly  hiera'-chy  which  was  developed  so 
fully  in  later  Judaism,  angels,  hosts  and  ministers  (91  ^S  148^). 
With  the  growing  conception  of  the  infiniteness  and  superhu- 
manity  of  God  He  was  removed  farther  and  farther  from 
contact  with  the  human.  Such  primitive  expressions  as  "see 
the  face  of  God"  (42-),  "sons  of  God"  (29  \  89«),  and  the 
like,  became  impossible.  God  was  represented  as  acting,  in 
the  more  common  and  mechanical  view,  through  superhuman 
beings,  the  host  of  heaven,  angels  and  ministers;  in  the  more 
spiritual  view  by  a  breath,  a  word,  a  command  (104^)  ;  leading 
ultimately  to  the  hypostatizing  of  the  word,  of  which  there  is  a 
trace  in  the  last  collection  of  Psalms  (147").  Similarly  we  find 
in  the  later  books  a  growing  tendency  to  substitute  "the  name" 
for  the  actual  use  of  the  name  of  the  deity. 

The  treatment  of  the  question  of  a  future  life  may  seem 
at  first  sight  to  contradict  this  theory  of  development.     A  con- 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  75 

siderable  number  of  Psalms  in  the  first  book,  fifteen  out  of 
the  thirty-seven  Davidic  Psalms,  treat  of  or  refer  to  death 
and  the  after  state,  and  of  these  three  (16,  17,  26)  are 
regarded  by  many  commentators  as  showing  a  hope  of,  if 
not  a  belief  in  personal  immortality.  In  the  Korahite  Psalter 
they  find  future  hope  in  49,  in  the  Asaphite  Psalter,  in  7Z, 
and  in  the  Prayers  of  David,  in  63  (why  not  also  in  69?), 
but  later  than  this  there  is  no  glimmer  of  such  a  hope.  The 
theory  of  the  latter  books  is  that  with  death  existence  ceases, 
and  that  the  blessings  of  God  and  the  rewards  of  good 
and  evil  are  to  be  expected  here.^  In  the  earlier  books  there 
seems  to  be  ever  and  anon  a  restlessness  under  existing  con- 
ditions, a  complaint  against  them,  and  a  desperate  search 
for  a  way  out  of  death.  In  the  latter  books  existing  con- 
ditions are  accepted  and  acquiesced  in,  and  the  theory  of 
the  satisfaction  and  reward  of  religion  and  righteousness  in 
this  life  appears  to  be  regarded  as  sufficient.  Only,  possibly 
in  the  collection  138-144  do  we  see  some  faint  echo  of  those 
earlier  protests.  This  looks  like  retrogression,  and  in  the 
line  of  spiritual  development  it  is  such.  Historically  it  ac- 
cords with  the  history  of  thought  among  the  Jews.  The 
latter  books  of  the  Psalter  belong  to  the  Temple  and  the 
priesthood  in  a  sense  in  which  the  other  books  do  not.  They 
are  peculiarly  tinged  with  priestly  views.  Now,  when  in  the 
2d  cent.  B.  C.  we  find  the  division  between  Pharisee  and 
Sadducee  an  accomplished  fact,  it  is  the  priestly  aristocracy 
which  constitutes  the  essence  of  the  Sadducean  party,  the 
conservatives  who  maintained  the  older  views  expressed  in 
Job  32-37,  Ecclesiastes,  Ecclesiasticus  and  1st  Maccabees.  The 
evidence  of  the  Psalter  in  this  regard  confirms  our  analysis, 
the  latter  books  representing  predominance  of  the  priestly 
aristocracy,  who,  when  the  Pharisees  developed  into  a  party, 
were  called  Sadducees.  The  revival  of  discredited  (cf.  Zech. 
13  ^"®)  prophetism  in  apocalypses,  and  the  development  of  the 
Pharisees  as  a  party  were  a  result  of  the  Antiochian  oppres- 
sion and  the  Maccabean  revolt,  and  with  this  literature  the 
idea  of  personal  immortality  springs  into  life  (cf.  Daniel,  Enoch, 
Wisdom,  and  the  Pharisaic  song-book  called  "Psalms  of  S0I07 
mon"). 

1  An  exception  is  Ps.  1  (see  in  loco),  which  is  not  properly  a  hymn, 
but  an  introductory  ode,  a  purely  literary  production  prefixed  editorially 
to  the  Psalter. 


76  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

An  analysis  of  the  references  to  death  and  the  after  state 
in  the  Hebrew  scriptures  suggests  the  development  of  the 
hope  of  personal  out  of  the  belief  in  family  and  national  im- 
mortality. The  glimmering  hope  of  personal  immortality  in 
the  Psalms  above  referred  to,  if  it  exists,  which  I  hardly 
believe,  comes  from  an  application  to  the  individual  of  the 
consoling  hope  of  national  revival,  or  continuanc-^.  of  life  by 
posterity,  which  we  find  animating  the  prophets  in  the  midst  of 
apparent  national  death  (Ez.  ZT ,  Is.  53"),  and  which  clearly 
appears  in  tl.e  Psalms  in  such  passages  as  9  ^^  ^  22  ^^"^^  It 
was  the  Antiochian  oppression,  followed  by  the  successful 
national  uprising  under  the  Maccabees,  falling  at  a  time  when, 
thanks  to  the  synagogues  and  the  study  of  the  Law,  indi- 
vidual ideas  of  religion  had  begun  to  be  developed,  which 
finally  converted  a  national  into  a  personal  belief.  Persian 
influence,  if  it  existed  and  helped  to  quicken  this  belief,  did 
so  through  that  discredited  prophetic  line  which,  after  a 
period  of  dormancy,  developed  in  a  new  form,  through  the 
Apocalypses  and  not  through  the  Psalms.  The  latter,  if  they 
played  any  part  in  this  development,  did  so  by  their  later  use 
in  the  synagogue  and  the  home  and  the  impetus  thus  given 
to  the  growth  of  personal  as  over  against  national  piety. 

If,  as  has  been  argued,  the  Psalter  was  the  hymn  book 
of  the  Jewish  Church,  it  follows  from  all  analogies  that,  with 
ritual,  it  represents  largely  the  popular  element  in  religion 
as  over  against  the  credal,  legal  and  intellectual  elements. 
The  prophets,  while  belonging  in  part  with  the  intellectuals, 
were  also  spiritual  leaders  and  poets.  To  this  extent  the 
Psalmists  were  at  one  with  them,  that  they  were  also  spiritual 
and  poets,  intuitively  in  touch  with  God;  but  they  were  not 
intellectual  leaders  as  were  the  prophets.  The  latter  were 
far  in  advance  of  the  people,  accepted  and  canonized  after  they 
were  dead ;  and  even  then  general  belief  and  practice  lagged 
behind  their  visions.  Popular  religion  is  inconsistent.  It 
accepts  the  prophets  on  the  one  side,  and  inherited  forms 
and  even  superstitions  on  the  other;  subscribes  to  the  one, 
and  continues  to  practice,  with  its  own  interpretations,  the 
other.  The  real  belief  of  the  Church  can  never  be  meas- 
ured by  its  prophets,  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  by  the  creeds  or 
canons  of  its  theologians.  People  will  profess  orthodoxy  in 
their  creeds,  and  sing  heresy  in  their  favorite  hymns  with  naive 
unconsciousness  of  any  inconsistency  between  them.     Which  is 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  11 

their  real  religion?  All  these  things  must  be  carefully  taken 
into  account  in  a  critical  study  of  the  Psalter.  There  are 
not  a  few  Psalms  which  are  in  intellectuality  and  spirituality 
quite  abreast  of  the  thought  of  the  prophets,  composed  by 
spiritual  and  intellectual  leaders.  Other  Psalms  stand  close 
to  ritual  acts  which  represent  very  primitive  conceptions.  The 
whole  Psalter  has  received  a  priestly  tinge  from  its  use  in 
the  Temple,  or  the  composition  of  its  liturgies  under  the 
immediate  influence  of  the  Temple  service.  Here  and  there 
are  hymns  which  may  be  called  credal  or  legal,  wliich  at- 
tempt to  teach  doctrine  or  inculcate  law.  As  a  whole, 
however,  the  Psalter  represents  what  we  may  roughly  call 
the  popular  theology,  inconsistent  and  untheological,  to  speak 
paradoxically,  not  to  be  compared  too  closely  with  the  ritual 
of  the  priests,  the  canons  of  the  law  giver,  or  the  sermons 
of  the  prophets,  but  singularly  sweet  and  lovely  for  the  very 
divine  humanity  of  it. 

The  Psalms  in  the  Jewish  Church.  What  little  we  know  of 
the  use  of  the  Psalms  in  the  earlier  period  is  derived  from  the 
hints  in  Psalm  headings  or  in  the  contents  of  the  Psalms  them- 
selves, with  a  few  allusions  in  the  prophets  and  the  earlier  his- 
torical books.  With  Chronicles  first  we  begin  to  obtain  direct 
external  evidence  of  the  method  and  extent  of  the  use  of  Psalms 
in  Temple  worship,  and  of  the  combinations  of  sections  of 
Psalms  into  new  liturgies.  As  already  stated  the  Chronicler 
uses  freely  only  Psalms  from  the  last  books  of  the  Psalter. 
Similarly  Sirach  (Ecclesiasticus),  while  using  almost  the  whole 
Psalter  as  Scripture,  when  he  comes  to  the  composition  of  psal- 
mody, confines  himself  to  the  collections  of  the  latter  books.  Ap- 
parently these  were  better  suited  to  the  new  conditions  of  wor- 
ship which  had  grown  up  since  the  institutions  of  Nehemiah  and 
Ezra. 

The  Talmud  and  Josephus  give  us  a  fairly  complete  picture 
of  the  worship  in  the  Herodian  Temple.  By  this  time  the 
sacrifices  had  become  almost  incredibly  numerous  and  compli- 
cated, and  psalmody  had  similarly  developed  out  of  the 
simple  praise  cries  and  the  briefer  Psalms  of  earlier  use  into 
an  elaborate  hturgical  system.  Sacrifices  were  now  per- 
formed and  Psalms  sung  by  the  wholesale  by  a  vast  body 
of  priests,  Levites  and  laity,  who  were  engaged  in  nothing 
else   but  performing   in   the   one   great   center    of    the    Jewish 


78  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

religion  the  rites  and  ceremonies  for  a  vast  population,  not 
in  Jerusalem  or  Palestine  only,  but  throughout  the  world.  And 
here  again  we  find  that  the  Psalms  in  common  use  were 
Psalms  from  the  latter  books,  excluding  the  earlier  post- 
exilian  collection  90-99.  Psalms  100,  104-107,  111-118,  120- 
134,  135,  136,  145-150  were  used  over  and  over  again,  and 
were  known  by  heart  by  the  worshippers.  Of  these  Psalms 
111-118  (or  perhaps  better  113-118),  120-134,  and  145-150 
were  sung  or  recited  as  entireties,  the  first  named  18  times 
in  the  year,  and  the  last  so  frequently,  with  such  reiteration 
of  145,  that  the  latter  came  to  be  the  most  used  Psalm  m 
the  Psalter.  (Whoso  recited  it  three  times  daily  would  inherit 
eternal  life.)  The  Psalms  of  the  latter  books  were  clearly 
those  best  adapted  to  the  newer  conditions  of  worship,  and 
they  were  so  because  they  were  compositions  of  the  newer 
period.  It  is  worthy  of  note,  also,  that  the  Psalms  in  common- 
est use  were,  with  the  exception  of  the  Pilgrim  Psalter,  the 
great  todhah  and  tehillah  groups,  giving  a  triumphant  tone  to 
the  sacrificial  worship  of  the  Temple.  Earlier  Psalms  were 
used  also  among  the  day  Psalms  and  Psalms  for  special 
festivals,  in  some  cases  perhaps  relics  of  earlier  use,  and 
liturgies  were  made  by  the  selection  of  verses  from  various 
Psalms.^  We  have  indications  from  the  Talmud  of  certain 
variations  and  developments  in  these  liturgies,  as  for  instance 
the  omission  of  Psalm  44  as  too  anthropomorphic,  because 
it  called  on  Yahaweh  to  arise  and  awake  out  of  His  sleep. 

At  the  daily  morning  sacrifice,  which  included  the  regular 
whole  burnt  sacrifice  for  the  people,  with  meal  offering  and 
libation  of  wine,  the  high  priestly  offering,  and  the  various 
individual  sacrifices  which  were  presented,  sin,  trespass,  thank 
and  peace,  the  priests  blew  on  trumpets,  and  while  the  whole 
burnt  was  presented  the  Levitical  choir  sang  and  played.  •  When 
the  sacrifice  was  offered  a  priest  struck  the  cymbals,  and 
the  Levitical  choir  sung  the  Psalm  of  the  day  in  three  parts 
as  the  priest  began  to  pour  the  drink  offering.  At  the  close 
of  each  part  the  trumpets  blew  three  times,  two  long  sus- 
tained blasts,  with  a  tremolo  between,  and  the  people  fell 
on  their  faces  and  worshipped.  This  sacrificial  service  was 
followed   a   little   later   by   a    second   liturgical,    but   non-sacri- 


1  So  at  New  Year,  81  and  the  closing  verses  of  29 ;  at  New  Moon,  105 
with  the  closing  verses  of  104. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  79 

ficial  service;  and  in  the  afternoon  (originally  at  sunset)  by 
another  sacrificial-liturgical  service,  in  scheme  the  same  as 
the  morning,  but  shorter.  On  some  occasions  the  day  Psalm 
was  different,  so  at  New  Moon  of  the  7th  month  81  in  the 
morning,  and  at  evening  29  or  part  of  the  same.  On  Sab- 
baths and  festivals  and  solemn  days  sacrifices  and  Psalms 
were  multiplied.  Outside  of  the  Psalms  from  the  Psalter 
Deut.  32  and  Ex.  15  were  used  on  the  Sabbath. 

A  part  of  the  psalm  in  Is.  12  (v.  3)  was  sung  by  the 
people  at  the  beginning  of  Tabernacles  as  the  priest  with 
water  from  Siloah  in  a  golden  bowl  entered  the  Temple  gate. 
When  this  and  the  libation  of  wine  had  been  poured  out  at 
the  altar  Hallel  was  sung  with  an  accompaniment  of  flutes, 
and  also  on  each  following  day  of  the  Feast,  and  after  118^, 
Jig  26, 26^  and  at  the  close  the  people  shook  their  lulabs  or  palm 
branches  toward  the  altar.  After  the  sacrifices  had  been  offered 
on  each  day  (as  also  at  other  great  feasts),  the  priests  marched 
around  the  altar  and  sang  118^%  and  on  the  7th  day  seven 
times.  On  the  eighth  day  prayer  for  rain  was  offered,  and 
on  the  last  night  there  was  a  great  illumination  of  the  Temple 
courts  and  a  torch  light  dance  till  cockcrow,  and  the  full 
Levitical  choir  stood  on  the  steps  of  the  inner  court  and 
chanted  the  Pilgrim  Psalter.  Then  a  precentor,  inviting  the 
people  with  a  hallelu-yah,  took  up  Psalms  135  and  136,  and 
intoned    them,   the    people    responding. 

Hallel  was  also  sung  with  one  flute  (a  special  indication 
of  joy  or  love  songs)  at  various  sacrifices  in  the  Feast  of 
Weeks.  It  was  sung  also  at  Dedication.  At  Passover  it  was 
sung  while  the  blood  of  the  lambs  was  being  offered,  from 
the  9th  to  11th  hour  (3-5),  the  people  repeating  after  the 
precentor  the  first  clause  of  each  Psalm,  and  after  every  line 
hallelu-yah,  with  an  "amen  and  amen"  at  the  close.  In  Psalm 
118  they  also  repeated  vv.  25,  26. 

A  beautiful  popular  service  of  this  period  was  the  presen- 
tation of  first  fruits.  This  was  done  by  processions  from 
each  town,  singing  as  they  went  Psalms  of  the  Pilgrim  Psalter, 
beginning  with  132.  As  they  entered  the  city  they  sang  122; 
as  they  ascended  the  Temple  hill  150;  and  as  they  entered  the 
Temple  the  Levites  greeted  them  with  Psalm  30.  The  service 
was  completed  by  the  recitation  of  Deut.  26 '  ^'  a  "wandering 
Syrian  was  my  father,"  as  they  set  down  their  gifts  before  the 
altar  and  withdrew. 


80  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

A  part  was  provided  for  the  people  in  the  services  in  the 
Temple  by  recitation  of  verses,  by  responses  of  hallelu-yah 
and  amen  (generally  "amen  and  amen")  ;  also  something  re- 
sembling a  prayer  meeting  was  held  at  the  same  time  in  one 
of  the  large  rooms  about  the  Temple  courts,  at  which  Scrip- 
tures were  read  or  recited,  and  Psalms  recited  or  chanted. 
For  the  Temple  services,  also,  the  people,  like  the  priests,  were 
divided  into  24  courses,  some  of  each  course  attending  the 
services  in  the  Temple  and  the  rest  assembling  at  the  same 
time  in  their  synagogues.  The  services  in  the  synagogues  were 
held  simultaneously  with  those  in  the  Temple,  at  morning 
sacrifice,  mid-morning  and  sunset,  for  which  later  was  sub- 
stituted afternoon.  The  same  daily  and  special  Psalms  were 
said  or  chanted,  and  especially  the  hallel  and  hallelu-yah 
Psalms,  which  all  knew  by  heart.  We  have  notices  of  the  use 
in  the  Synagogue  of  certain  Psalms  for  special  occasions,  7 
for  Purim,  because  of  w.  6,  11-16  (cf.  Esther  9^^^);  30^ 
for  Hanukkah  (also  called  Dedication,  Maccabees  and  Lights), 
as  in  the  Temple ;  47  for  New  Year,  because  of  v.  5,  also 
81,  because  of  v.  3;  98  for  New  Moon,  because  of  v.  6  (cf. 
Num.  10^°),  also  104,  because  of  vv.  1,  2;  76  and  118"  to 
end  for  Tabernacles ;  130  for  Atonement.  Presumably  this 
was  identical  at  some  time  with  the  Temple  use.  The  special 
praise  part  of  the  synagogue  service  was  at  the  close,  as  in 
the  Temple.  Practically  the  use  of  the  Psalms  in  the  synagogue 
was  the  same  as  in  the  Temple.  After  the  destruction  of  the 
Temple,  therefore,  the  synagogue  service  readily  took  the  place 
of  that  of  the  Temple  in  the  community,  alike  everywhere,  the 
Scriptures,  above  all  the  Law,  and  its  exposition,  and  prayer  taking 
the  place  of  sacrifice. 

Such  as  it  then  was  it  has  continued  in  principle  and  largely 
in  detail  to  the  present  time;  three  services,  corresponding 
to  the  old  Temple  services.  As  far  as  the  Psalms  are  con- 
cerned the  practice  of  the  English  congregations  of  Jews 
today  fairly  represents  their  position  in  Jewish  worship 
through  the  ages :  verses  of  Psalms  said  privately  by  the 
worshippers;  after  a  hymn  of  praise  and  readings  from  the 
Mishnah  and  the  Scriptures,  Ps.  100,  and  74*,  144",  fol- 
lowed by  145-150    (in  one  way  or  another   145  is  used  three 


^  30  with   3   and   91     were   sung   with  the   accompaniment   of    musical 
instruments,  we  are  told,  at  the  enlargement  of  the  walls  by  Agrippa. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  81 

times);  Psalm  verses   (51^^  and   19");  Psalm  6,  also  Psalm 
for  day. 

As  Scripture  Psalms  constitute  the  basis  and  beginning  of 
the  third  canon,  the  canon  of  the  Writings.  This  canon  was 
not  closed  as  inspired  Scripture  until  about  the  middle  of 
the  first  half  of  the  2d  century  A.  D.,  but,  as  is  evident  from 
what  has  been  said  above,  the  canon  of  the  Psalter  was  closed 
and  the  Psalter  accepted  as  Scripture,  the  book  of  Liturgies, 
the  Prayer  Book,  over  three  hundred  years  earlier.  So  in  the 
New  Testament  we  find  "David"  standing  in  authority  and 
popular  regard  side  by  side  with  "Moses"  and  "the  prophets." 

The  Psalms  in  the  Christian  Church.  Among  the  early 
Christians  the  use  of  the  Psalms  was  practically  identical  with 
that  among  the  Jews,  except  that  it  was  simpler  and  less  stereo- 
typed. Psalms  were  on  the  tongues  of  all.  They  were  the 
Scriptures  best  known  and  most  used;  indeed  it  is  told  that  in 
those  bookless  days  of  memory  many  Christians  knew  them  all  by 
heart.  Such  new  hymns  as  were  composed,  like  the  Benedictus, 
Magnificat  and  Nunc  Dimittis,  were  made  out  of  Psalms  or  on 
Psalm  models,  but  in  general  the  hymns  sung  in  public  worship 
were  the  Psalms,  and  even  so  late  as  the  time  of  Ambrose  the 
substitution  of  the  Te  Deum  for  the  ancient  Psalmody  is  said 
to  have  been  counted  by  many  a  scandal;  and  there  are  to  this 
day  Christians  who  in  public  worship  will  still  sing  nothing  but 
"the  Psalms  of  David." 

We  find  in  the  early  Christian  Church  the  use  in  worship 
of  set  Psalms  for  the  day  arranged  in  a  weekly  cycle,  the 
use  of  the  responses  amen  and  hallelu-yah,  and  of  the  dox- 
ology  as  the  proper  close  of  each  group  of  Psalms  or  each 
hymn  taken  from  or  composed  out  of  Psalms.  So  general 
and  practically  obligatory  did  this  practice  of  adding  a  dox- 
ology  to  everything  become,  especially  in  the  Western  Church, 
that  a  doxology  was  early  added  to  the  Lord's  Prayer,  "For 
Thine  is  the  kingdom  and  the  power  and  the  glory  for  ever 
and  ever,  Amen."  As  liturgies  developed  the  use  of  the 
Psalms  in  Christian  worship  became  both  more  complicated  and 
more  precisely  determined,  and  the  earlier  freedom  in  the 
treatment  of  the  Psalter  as  a  treasury  from  which  to  draw 
chants   by   combination   and   composition   was   much   restricted. 

As  the  use  of  the  Bible  as  a  whole  became  gradually  less 
living  and   intelligent   and   more   mechanical   and   superstitious, 


82  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

SO  the  use  of  the  Psalter  also  changed  its  character,  until 
finally  in  the  Western  Church  before  the  Reformation  we 
find  an  exceedingly  complicated,  cumbersome  and  unintelli- 
gent system  in  use,  which  seems  to  be  based  on  the  theory 
that  there  is  a  virtue  in  the  recitation  of  prayers  and  Scrip- 
tures quite  apart  from  their  sense.  There  was  a  merit  in 
saying  the  Psalms  through  as  such  within  a  certain  fixed  period. 
The  original  plan  of  appointing  Psalms  to  be  said  on  each 
day  of  the  week  developed  into  an  arrangement  by  which 
the  whole  Psalter  was  to  be  said  through  each  week.  As  a 
natural  consequence  the  single  Psalms  of  the  primitive  service, 
or  the  anthem  composed  from  one  or  more  Psalms,  were 
replaced  by  groups  of  a  dozen  Psalms  or  more  to  be  said 
or  sung  through  at  one  time,  with  a  doxology  after  each. 
The  arrangement  was  fashioned  unintelligently,  for  the  Bible 
had  become  largely  a  closed  book  read  with  the  lips  and  not 
with  the  understanding,  and  followed  almost  entirely  the  order 
of  numbering  of  the  Psalms  in  the  Psalter.  Nevertheless  the 
old  tradition  had  not  yet  been  lost  utterly;  the  fourth  Psalm 
was  recognized  as  an  evening  hymn  and  assigned  accordingly, 
and  the  intention  of  one  or  two  other  Psalms  was  observed 
in  the  provision  made  for  their  use.  Moreover,  the  old 
practice  of  special  Psalms  for  special  occasions  was  thoroughly 
recognized,  and  indeed  it  was  at  last  carried  so  far  that 
special  Psalms  were  provided  for  almost  every  day,  so  that, 
while  in  theory  the  whole  Psalter  was  to  be  said  consecu- 
tively each  week,  in  actual  practice,  through  the  substitution 
of  the  Psalms  appointed  for  special  occasions,  only  about  two- 
thirds  of  the  Psalms  were  actually  used,  and  at  the  present 
day  only  about  one-half  of  the  Psalter  is  in  regular  use  in 
the  Roman  Church.  Of  the  reformed  churches  the  Anglican, 
developing  its  system  of  daily  services  out  of  the  monastic 
Hours,  made  the  fullest  use  of  the  Psalter,  Influenced  by 
their  monastic  models,  the  reformers  seem  to  have  felt  that 
there  was  some  special  virtue  in  saying  the  whole  Psalter 
through  consecutively  within  a  certain  fixed  period,  but  since 
as  a  matter  of  actual  experience  it  was  not  practical  for  any 
persons  not  monks  and  therefore  given  over  to  that  sort  of 
thing  to  say  the  whole  Psalter  weekly  and  still  attend  to 
the  ordinary  duties  of  life,  they  abandoned  the  primitive  uni- 
versal use  of  the  Christian  inherited  from  the  Jewish  Church, 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  83 

and  substituted  for  the  ancient  weekly  arrangement  a  monthly 
one,  providing  that  the  whole  Psalter  should  be  said  through 
consecutively  from  beginning  to  end  each  month.  So  set 
were  they  on  the  carrying  out  of  this  mechanical  theory  and 
so  careless  of  the  sense  of  the  Psalms  that,  contrary  to  the 
tradition  of  the  whole  Church  and  in  crying  contrast  with 
the  real  sense  of  the  Psalm  itself,  they  placed  the  ancient 
evening  Psalm  (4)  in  one  of  the  portions  provided  for  morning 
prayer.  Sense  and  tradition  seemed  to  have  no  weight  in 
their  minds  as  over  against  the  theory  that  the  whole 
Psalter  ought  to  be  used,  and  used  in  the  order  in  which 
the  Psalms  are  printed,  from  1  to  150,  without  omission,  once 
a  month.  Only  so  far  did  they  allow  themselves  to  be  bent 
from  the  complete  execution  of  their  theory  that  they  pro- 
vided special  Psalms  to  be  used  on  Christmas,  Ash  Wednesday, 
Good   Friday,   Easter,   Ascension   and   Whitsunday. 

Now,  in  a  Church  in  which  there  is  morning  and  evening 
prayer  a  few  people  will,  or  rather  may,  month  by  month,  hear 
the  whole  Psalter  said  consecutively  from  beginning  to  end, 
but  the  great  bulk  of  the  people  coming  to  Church  once  or 
at  the  most  twice  a  Sunday  hear  only  accidental  portions, 
which,  even  where  they  chance  to  be  congruous  in  themselves 
considered,  are  very  unlikely  to  have  any  peculiar  fitness  con- 
sidered in  relation  to  the  rest  of  the  service,  and  to  the 
season  of  the  Church  year.  Again  there  is  a  considerable 
difference  in  the  value  of  different  Psalms  for  purposes  of 
worship,  as  was  recognized  by  the  Jews  and  by  the  early 
Church,  and  there  are  passages  which  are  not  at  all  fitted 
for  Christian  worship,  representing  those  views  of  the  old 
dispensation  which  were  so  distinctly  and  directly  denounced 
by  our  Lord  as  contrary  to  His  teaching.  John  Wesley  felt 
these  difficulties  and  prepared  for  his  followers  in  1784  a 
version  of  select  Psalms,  arranged  after  the  pattern  of  the 
Anglican  Psalter,  for  a  month  of  thirty  days.  He  did  not 
emancipate  himself  in  this  arrangement  from  the  mechanical, 
mediaeval  order  according  to  the  numbers  of  the  Psalms, 
neither,  in  many  cases,  did  he  show  an  intelligent  comprehen- 
sion of  the  sense  of  the  individual  Psalms.  For  instance, 
the  third  Psalm,  which  is  a  morning  hymn,  is  assigned  to  the 
evening.  But  in  three  points  his  select  Psalms  for  the  days 
of   the  month   are  an   improvement  over   the   arrangement   of 


84  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

the  Anglican  Psalter:  the  selections  are  shorter,  portions  ob- 
jectionable from  the  standpoint  of  Christian  morality  are  cut 
out  and  some  discretion  has  been  exercised  in  the  selection. 
Wesley  also  returned  to  primitive  practice  in  cutting  and 
adapting  Psalms  instead  of  always  giving  them  entire  without 
omissions. 

The  Proposed  Book  of  the  American  Episcopal  Church, 
which  appeared  a  couple  of  years  later,  treats  the  Psalter 
in  much  the  same  way  as  Wesley  had  done,  still  clinging  to  the 
division  into  sixty  parts  for  the  thirty  days  in  the  month, 
and  arranging  the  Psalms  according  to  their  numbered  order, 
but  reducing  the  size  of  the  daily  Psalter,  eliminating  sections 
incompatible  with  the  morality  of  Christ,  and  asserting  the 
principle  of  selection.  The  Psalter  of  the  Proposed  Book 
is  a  slight  improvement  on  the  select  Psalms  of  Wesley. 
Although  the  arrangement  there  proposed  was  not  finally 
adopted,  the  American  Prayer  Book  of  1789-92  showed  the 
influence  of  these  propositions.  The  arrangement  of  the 
English  Psalter  was  retained,  but  it  was  prefaced  by  ten 
selections  of  Psalms  to  be  used  at  discretion,  as  also  by 
canticles  composed  of  Psalm  verses  which  might  be  substituted 
for  the  Vcnite  on  special  days.  The  Venite  itself  was  modified 
with  good  effect  and  on  primitive  models  by  cutting  off  a  portion 
of  the  closing  portion  of  the  95th  Psalm,  which  seemed  some- 
what too  local  and  particularistic  in  tone,  and  substituting  therefor 
some  verses  of  Psalm  96.  Two  new  canticles  were  also  added 
to  Evening  Prayer,  composed  out  of  Psalms,  but  not  consisting 
in  either  case  of  the  entire  Psalm;  the  Bonum  Est,  consisting 
of  the  first  four  verses  of  Psalm  92,  and  the  Benedic  Anima 
Mea,  consisting  of  the  first  four  and  the  last  three  verses  of 
Psalm  103.  The  revised  Prayer  Book  of  1892  modified  this 
somewhat,  still  retaining,  however,  the  general  system  of  the 
Anglican  Psalter,  which,  whatever  its  defects,  has  made  the 
Psalms  to  a  singular  degree  a  part  of  the  everyday  life  of 
English-speaking  people.^ 


1  English  literature  has  felt  most  markedly  their  influence.  Some- 
one has  tabulated  the  following  Psalms  and  Psalm  verses  as  found  in 
Shakespeare:  18  lo,  "^  19  5,  22  12,  398^  48i3,  517,8*,68  »,  ".  25,  80  l^89*^ 
1151  119^05  141^  147».  Lord  Bacon  is  among  those  who  have  versified 
Psalms,  and,  to  come  down  to  more  recent  times,  they  are  freely  utilized 
by  Byron,  Wordsworth,  Cowper,  the  Brownings,  Fitzgerald,  Ruskin  and 
Carlyle. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  85 

The  Psalter  Text.     In  conclusion  the  text  of  the  Anglican 
Psalter  deserves  a  word.    The  treatment  of  the  Psalter  text  in 
the  Western  Church  was  from  the  outset  peculiar.    The  transla- 
tion of  the  Psalter  into  Latin  first  used,  as  far  as  we  know,  was 
the  so-called  Itala,  a  popular  and  not  very  correct  translation,  not 
from  the  original  Hebrew  but  from  some  of  the  Greek  transla- 
tions of   the  Hebrew.     By  Jerome's   time  this  translation  had 
become  very  corrupt.     He  corrected  some  of  the  more  glaring 
inaccuracies  by  a  comparison  with  the  Septuagint  Greek  transla- 
tion, and  this  corrected  form  became  the  Roman  Psalter.  Later 
he  went  a  little  further  and  retranslated  the  Psalter  into  Latin 
from  the  Greek  Septuagint.    Later  still  he  translated  the  whole 
Old  Testament,   Psalter  included,  into  Latin  directly   from  the 
original  Hebrew.    It  was  this  translation  of  the  Bible  which  finally, 
with  some  modifications  and  numerous  corruptions,  became  the 
Latin  Vulgate,  except  in  the  Psalter.     Here  the  translation  from 
the  Hebrew  was  too   unlike  the   familiar  translation   from  the 
Greek  to  which  every  one  was  so  well  accustomed   from  the 
chants  of  the  Church,  and  so,  in  spite  of  its  superior  accuracy, 
the  translation  from  the  Hebrew  was  dropped  and  the  trans- 
lation   from    the    Septuagint    substituted    in    its    place.      This 
Psalter,    Jerome's    translation    from    the    Septuagint,    was    first 
adopted    as    a    Church    Psalter,    it    is    believed,    by    Gregory    of 
Tours,  in  the  sixth  century,  and  from  the  place  of  its  original 
use    received    the    name    of     the    Galilean    Psalter.         From 
France   it  passed   over   into   England   and   became   the   Psalter 
of    the    English    Church.      It   obtained    a    strong    hold    on    the 
affections    of    the   people,   because   it   was    the    hymn   book    in 
every  one's  mouth,  and  when  the  Bible  was  finally  translated 
into  English  the   Latin   Gallican   Psalter   and  not  the  original 
Hebrew  was  used  as  the  basis   of   translation  of   the   Psalms. 
This    version    of    the    Psalms,    the    Tyndale-Coverdale-Rogers 
translation,  somewhat  revised  by  Cranmer,  and  with  the  adop- 
tion  of   the   Hebrew   instead   of    the   Latin   numbering   of    the 
Psalms,  is  the  version  of  the  Prayer  Book.     This  version  has 
those   same   qualities   which   made   the   Itala   and   the   Gallican 
Psalter  so  popular  in  the  Western  Church  that  they  crowded 
out  altogether  the  more  correct  translation  from  the  Hebrew : 
it   is   beautifully   rhythmical    and   lends    itself    to   singing.       It 
was  for  this  reason  that  when  in  1607  the  King  James'  ver- 


86  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

sion  of  the  Bible  was  substituted  for  the  Great  Bible  the  old 
translation  of  the  Psalter  was  retained  in  Church  use,  because 
it  sang  itself  and  the  King  James  version  did  not.  And  it 
has  held  its  own  to  the  present  day,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
it  is  a  translation  of  a  translation  of  a  translation,  and  decidedly 
inaccurate,  because  it  is  musically  and  rhythmically  better  than 
anything  else  that  has  been  produced. 

Apologia.  I  have  given  this  little  volume  an  introduction  quite 
out  of  proportion  to  its  size,  and  especially  I  have  treated  the 
question  of  date  at  great  length,  because  I  am  presenting  a  view 
so  different  from  that  of  most  later  critics,  and  yet  quite  as  far  re- 
moved from  the  tradition  of  the  elder  commentaries,  that  I  have 
been  obliged  to  present  the  argument  and  not  merely  the  facts.  In 
practice,  if  not  in  theory,  the  latest  commentators  have  treated  the 
Psalms  not  as  hymns  but  as  occasional  poems  composed  for  the 
celebration  of  historical  events,  for  which  they  have  tended  to  ima- 
gine history,  and  then  adjust  the  text  of  the  Psalms  to  fit  the 
history  thus  imagined.  They  have  disregarded  the  external 
evidences  of  date  and  relation  furnished  by  tradition  in  head- 
ings, arrangement  in  collections  and  the  like,  and  on  subjective 
grounds  divided  and  rearranged  them,  bringing  together 
Psalms  from  the  beginning,  the  middle  and  the  end.  Instead 
of  registering  the  growth  and  development  in  individual  Psalms, 
and  studying  them  from  the  root  up,  they  have  dated  them 
from  the  tops,  and  assumed  them  to  have  begun  there.  They 
have  made  absolutely  no  use  of  the  information  obtained  from 
the  study  of  hymns  ancient  and  modern,  and  especially  of  the 
kindred  Babylonian  psalmody.  They  have  shut  the  Psalms 
up  in  their  own  brains,  and  studied  them  not  as  they  are, 
but  as  they  fancied  they  should  be,  changing  the  text  on  no 
known  principles  of  textual  criticism,  but  solely  to  suit  their 
theories.  Sometimes  the  changes  made  are  so  great  that  no 
one  of  himself  could  identify  the  critic's  Psalm  with  its  Hebrew 
original.  These  are  of  course  the  extreme  cases;  but  in 
general  the  tendency  of  the  modern  Psalm  commentaries  has 
been,  it  seems  to  me,  to  follow  unscientific  and  subjective  methods, 
which  lead  no  whither.  Against  such  this  introduction  is  a 
protest. 

I  have  not  meant  by  so  detailed  an  introduction  to  lay 
too  great  stress  on  the  origin  or  growth  of  the  Psalms,  how 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  87 

they  were  first  used  and  when  and  why.  These  things  are 
interesting,  but  with  such  writings  as  the  Hebrew  Psalms 
the  essential  thing  is  the  grace,  the  charm  and,  above  all,  the 
spiritual  power  of  the  hymns  themselves.  In  this  critical 
introduction  I  have  been  dissecting  the  Psalms  to  determine 
their  date,  habitat,  evolution  and  relationship.  I  trust  I  may 
not  by  such  dissection  have  detracted  for  any  from  their 
beauty  and  their  fragrance  as  the  most  perfect  flowers  of 
religious    song. 


Note.  In  the  introduction  I  have  used  the  true  Judean  form  Yahaweb 
for  the  divine  name.  The  form  Jehovah  is  a  late  Christian  word  made 
by  a  combination  of  the  consonants  of  Yahaweh  with  the  vowels  of 
adonai,  Lord.  In  later  use,  because  of  the  sacredness  of  the  former  name, 
where  it  occurred  in  the  Scriptures  the  word  Lord  {adonai)  was  sub- 
stituted, and  to  indicate  this  the  vowels  or  so-called  points  of  the  latter 
word  were  indicated  in  the  text,  above  and  below  the  consonants  (orig- 
inally only  consonants  were  written  and  they  only  are  represented  by 
real  letters  on  the  line)  of  the  other.  The  form  thus  composed,  with  the 
consonantal  letters  of  the  one  word  and  the  vowel  points  of  the  other, 
is  transliterated  Lord  in  the  King  James  version.  This  I  have  in  general 
retained  in  the  translation  of  the  Psalms,  because  the  Hebrew  Yahaweh 
is  to  the  ordinary  reader  strange,  repellant  and  unmusical,  and  Jehovah 
is  from  the  scholarly  point  of  view  objectionable  as  a  late  error  due  to 
ignorance,  and  hence  misleading.  The  more  primitive  Hebrew  form  Yah 
(commonly  transliterated  in  English  Jah,  when  standing  alone,  or  iah 
when  in  composition,  as  in  hallelu-iah)  I  have  retained.  Lord  represents 
the  title  Adonai  used  in  place  of  the  name.  God  represents  Elohim,  a 
plural  from  a  word  of  the  same  root  as  the  Arabic  Allah,  which  became 
the  common  personal  designation  of  God  in  Israel  as  Yahaweh  did  in 
Judah.  (It  is  also  used,  however,  in  the  sense  of  gods).  God  represents 
the  word  El,  a  designation  of  divinity  common  to  the  Hebrews  with  the 
Babylonians,  Syrians  and  Canaanites,  but  also  used  as  a  designation  of 
the  God  of  Israel. 


Lecture  II.  The  Ancient  Psalm  Book  of  Jerusalem — Intro- 
ductory Notes — The  Fortress  of  Zion — Preface,  Psalm  1 — 
Introduction,  Psalm  2 — Translations  of  and  Comments  on 
the  most  ancient  liturgies  of  the  Jerusalem  Temple — Psalms 
3-41 — For  Morning  and  Evening — For  the  Dawn  Service — 
Sin  Offering — Acrostics — How  Long — Temple  Decalogue — 
Siege  Hymns — David's  Psalm — Sun  Hymn — Battle  Hymns 
— Trespass  Offering — Ark  Song — Seven  Thunders — Dedica- 
tion— The  Idolaters — Mirror  of  Providence — The  Problem 
of  Evil — Hvmns  of  the  Reformation. 

BOOK  I 

Psalm  1  is  the  preface  to  the  Psalter  as  a  whole,  Psalm  2 
the  introduction  to  books  1  and  2.  Psalms  3-41  were  the  first 
Psalm  book  of  the  Jerusalem  Temple.  To  a  very  considerable 
extent  this  book  is  a  collection  of  battle  liturgies,  belonging 
to  the  militant  period  of  Judean  history,  from  David  to 
Hezekiah.  It  must  be  remembered  that  ancient  Jerusalem  was 
a  very  strong,  almost  impregnable  fortress.  It  was  largely 
for  this  reason  that  David  chose  it  as  his  capital.  Its  reputa- 
tion in  his  day  is  shown  by  the  mocking  reply  of  the  Jebusites, 
when  he  called  upon  them  to  surrender,  that  "the  blind  and 
the  lame"  could  defend  their  fortress  against  him  (2  Sam.  5"). 
That  fortress  lay  on  a  narrow  ridge  of  rock  with  almost  pre- 
cipitous sides,  provided  with  a  sufficient  supply  of  living  water 
from  the  Virgin's  Spring  by  means  of  a  tunnel  and  a  shaft, 
through  failure  of  the  Jebusites  to  guard  which  David  won 
the  city.  He  and  his  successors  enlarged  and  strengthened  the 
city,  which  became  a  series  of  strongholds,  one  of  which  was 
the  Temple.  Most  ancient  temples  were  also  strongholds,  but 
this  was  peculiarly  true  of  the  Zion  of  Jerusalem.  Resolutely 
defended,  it  was  impregnable.  The  country  might  be  over- 
run and  devastated,  but  Zion  could  hold  out  indefinitely, 
and  that  safe  the  invader  could  not  maintain  himself  in  the 
land.  Unable  to  procure  water  in  that  waterless  country  he 
must  retreat.  So  in  Hezekiah's  time  Sennacherib's  great  army, 
although  it  overran  and  devastated  the  land,  was  compelled 
to  retire  from  Jerusalem.     Hence  it  was  that  the  inviolability 

88 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  89 

of  the  Temple,  protected  by  the  presence  of  Yahaweh,  became 
a  doctrine,  as  in  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah.  The  invincibihty 
of  Zion  and  of  Yahaweh  were  identified,  and  trust  in  Zion 
and  trust  in  Yahaweh  became  one,  a  combination  which 
pecuHarly  characterizes   this  Psalter. 

Shut  up  in  Zion  and  David's  city  by  invaders  the  worshippers, 
while  beseeching  deliverance,  could  still  mock  at  the  foe  against 
their  stronghold.     Of  this  these  Psalms  are  full. 

But  besides  the  material  weapons  of  those  adversaries, 
against  which,  unaided,  the  Jews  counted  their  fortress  im- 
pregnable, there  were  the  invisible  and  perhaps  more  potent 
weapons  of  charms  and  incantations  through  which  mighty 
deities  might  be  invoked  against  them,  as  Balak,  king  of 
Moab,  had  hired  Balaam  to  do  in  the  old  time  (Num.  22ff )  ; 
or  peculiarly  efficacious  sacrifices  might  be  offered  such  as  enabled 
a  later  King  of  Moab  to  dissipate  the  armies  of  Israel,  Judah  and 
Edom  (2K.  3^").  All  peoples  relied  on  such  charms,  incanta- 
tions and  sacrifices  to  help  them  in  war,  strengthening  the  powers 
of  their  own  deities  and  arousing  them  to  greater  activities,  or 
summoning  other  and  more  mighty  spiritual  aid,  as  in  the  case  of 
Balak  and  Balaam.  Against  such  demonistic  and  spiritual  forces, 
as  much  as  or  even  more  than  against  the  fleshly  weapons  of 
the  besiegers,  they  must  contend,  and  this  contention  was 
especially  the  task  of  the  priests  of  the  Temple,  to  be  achieved 
by  sacrifice  and  liturgies  through  which  Yahaweh  should  be 
summoned  and  aroused  to  overmaster  their  spiritual  foes. 
Sometimes  even  where  there  was  no  physical  war  it  was  mani- 
fest that  enemies  were  making  spiritual  war  against  them  by 
witchcraft  and  charms,  or  by  the  magic  of  sacrifices  and  incan- 
tations bringing  evils  upon  them,  pestilence,  the  death  of  kings 
or  leaders,  drought,  famine,  failure  of  crops,  grasshopper 
plagues  and  the  like;  just  as  when  the  Indians  did  not  dare 
to  attack  the  Plymouth  colonists  with  arms,  they  yet  brought 
together  the  mightiest  medicine  men  they  could  procure  and 
sought  to  destroy  the  English  or  drive  them  out  by  charms, 
witchcraft  and  demonism.  Against  such  machinations  the 
priests  of  Jerusalem  were  bound  to  protect  the  king  and  the 
people  by  proper  sacrifices  and  petitions  to  Yahaweh,  that  He 
might  look  down  from  heaven,  see  their  need  and  interfere 
with  His  invincible  might.  Such  were  the  conditions  that  lay 
behind  and  are  reflected  in  the  liturgies  of  the  ancient  Jeru- 
salem Psalter. 


90 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


In  date  the  Psalms  of  the  first  part  of  this  Psalter,  exclud- 
ing the  preface  (1)  and  the  introduction  (2),  are  older  than 
those  of  the  latter  part,  going  back  in  their  origins  to  the  time 
of  David  and  still  earlier.  Some  of  the  closing  Psalms,  on 
the  other  hand,  reflect  the  conditions  of  the  period  of  the 
Reformation  under  King  Josiah ;  and  there  are  Psalms,  like  the 
19th  and  33d,  which  were  evidently  revised  and  re-edited  long 
after  the  Exile. 


1.  Happy    the    manl 
Who  hath  not  walked   in  the 

counsel   of    the   wicked, 
Nor  stood  in  the  way  of  sin- 
ners, 
Nor    sat    in    the    council    of 
scorners ; 

2.  But  in  the  Law  of  the  Lord 
his    delight. 

And  in  His  Law  he  muscth 
day  and  night. 

3.  He  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted 
by    water    courses, 

Which  yieldeth  his  fruit  in 
its   season, 

And    his    leaf    withereth    not; 

And  all  that  he  doeth  he 
maketh  prosper. 

4.  Not   so    the   wicked  1 
But  he  is  like  the  chaflF  which 

the    wind    driveth. 

5.  Therefore  the  wicked  rise  not 
in    the    Judgment, 

Nor  sinners  in  the  congrega- 
tion of  the  righteous. 

6.  For    the    Lord    knoweth    the 
way   of   the   righteous, 

And  the  way  of  the  wicked 
perisheth. 

Introductory  Ode 

A  non  liturgical,  literary  ode,  prefixed  to  the  Psalter  as  an 
introduction.  In  its  poetic  form  it  resembles  the  gnomic  poetry 
of  the  Wisdom  books,  especially  Proverbs  and  Ecclesiasticus. 

1.  Note  the  progression:  zualk,  stand,  sit.  2.  The  religion 
of  the  Law.  Study  of  the  Law  is  the  prime  duty,  which  will 
ensure  righteousness.  5.  Judgment  (mishpat)  is  not  used  in 
this  sense  elsewhere  in  the  Old  Testament,  but  is  so  used  in  the 
Talmud.     The  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of  the  righteous  ap- 


BLESSED  is  the  man  that 
walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of 
the  ungodly,  nor  standeth  in  the 
way  of  sinners,  nor  sitteth  in  the 
seat   of    the    scornful. 

2  But  his  delight  is  in  the  law 
of  the  Lord  ;  and  in  his  law  doth 
he  meditate  day  and  night. 

3  And  he  shall  be  like  a  tree 
planted  by  the  rivers  of  water, 
that  bringeth  forth  his  fruit  in 
his  season;  his  leaf  also  shall  not 
wither;  and  whatsoever  he  doeth 
shall    prosper. 

4  The  ungodly  are  not  so:  but 
are  like  the  chaff  which  the  wind 
driveth   away. 

5  Therefore  the  ungodly  shall 
not  stand  in  the  judgment,  nor 
sinners  in  the  congregation  of  the 
righteous. 

6  For  the  Lord  knoweth  the 
way  of  the  righteous :  but  the  way 
of  the  ungodly  shall  perish. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


91 


pears  first  in  Isaiah  24-27  (cf.  especially  26  ^*'^'),  an  apocalypse 
interspersed  with  songs  of  a  period  post-dating  Alexander  the 
Great,  added  to  the  second  volume  of  the  book  of  Isaiah,  the 
Burdens  of  the  Nations  (chaps.  13-23),  when  his  prophecies 
were  edited  in  three  volumes.  The  doctrine  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  righteous  is  more  distinctly  stated  in  Dan  12^  (165 
B.  C),  where,  however,  we  seem  to  have  advanced  a  step  further 
toward  the  resurrection  of  all  Jews,  the  righteous  to  reward, 
the  sinners  to  shame  and  punishment.  Perhaps  we  may  as- 
sign this  Psalm  to  the  3d  cent.  B.  C.  In  contrast  with  the 
Psalter,  to  which  it  is  an  introduction,  it  represents  the  phari- 
saic  as  over  against  the  sadducaic  position.  6.  Way  is  here 
used  in  the  same  general  sense  as  in  Acts  9  ^,  of  a  religion, 
practice  or  way  of  life. 

Compare  with  this  Psalm  the  following  from  the  Persian 
Ustavaiti  Gatha  (Yasna  XXII.  2),  sung  by  the  soul  of  the 
faithful  on  the  first  three  nights  after  death:  "Happy  he,  happy 
the  man,  whoever  he  be,  to  whom  Ahura  Mazda  gives  the  full 
accomplishment  of  his  wishes."  The  Persian  believed  in  res- 
urrection of  the  body,  or  rather  life  of  the  body  in  heaven  (cf. 
Yasna  2X). 


II 


WHY  do  the  heathen  rage,  and 
the    people    imagine    a    vain 
thing? 

2  The  kings  of  the  earth  set 
themselves,  and  the  rulers  take 
counsel  together,  against  the  Lord, 

and  agiainst  his  Anointed,  saying, 

3  Let  us  break  their  bands  asun- 
der, and  cast  away  their  cords 
from    us. 

4  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heav- 
ens shall  laugh:  the  Lord  shall 
have    them    in    derision. 

5  Then  shall  he  speak  unto 
them  in  his  wrath,  and  vex  them 
in  his  sore  displeasure. 

6  Yet  have  I  set  my  King  upon 
my   holy  hill   of   Zion. 

7  I  will  declare  the  decree :  the 
Lord  hath  said  unto  me,  Thou 
art  my  Son ;  this  day  have  I  be- 
gotten  thee. 


1.  Why  do  nations   rage, 
While   peoples   vainly   rave? 

2.  Kings    of    earth    make    ready, 
And   rulers  plot  together, 
Against  the   Lord  and    against 

His  Christ : 

3.  "Let  us  tear  away  their  bonds, 
And      cast      from      us      their 

cords  I" 

4.  Who   sitteth  in   heaven  laugh- 

eth, 
The    Lord    mocketh    them. 

5.  He    speaketh   to   them   in    His 

wrath, 
And   in   His   anger  confound- 
eth   them : 

6.  "Surely    I    have    set    My    king 
On   Zion,    hill  of   My   shrine." 

7.  Let  me  tell  the  Lord's  decree. 
He  said  to  me :     "My  son  art 

thou, 
Today   have    I   begotten   thee. 


92 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


8  Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall  give 
thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inherit- 
ance, and  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the    earth    for    thy    possession. 

9  Thou  shalt  break  them  with 
a  rod  of  iron ;  thou  shalt  dash 
them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's  ves- 
sel. 

10  Be  wise  now  therefore,  O 
ye  kings:  be  instructed,  ye  judges 
of   the   earth. 

11  Serve  the  Lord  with  fear, 
and    rejoice   with   trembling. 

12  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  he  be  an- 
gry, and  ye  perish  from  the  way, 
when  his  wrath  is  kindled  but  a 
little.  Blessed  are  all  they  that 
put  their  trust  in  him. 


8. 


10 


Ask   of    Me,    and    I    will    give 
Nations    for    thine    heritage. 
For    thine    own    the    ends    of 
rarth. 

To   break  them   with   an   iron 
rod. 

To    shatter    them   like    potters' 
vessels. 


And  now,   O  kings,   reflect; 
Be     warned,     ye     judges     of 
earth. 

11.  Serve    the    Lord    with    fear, 
With  trembling  kiss  His   feet, 

12.  Lest    He    be    wroth,    and    ye 

perish; 
For    His    anger    is    soon   kin- 
dled. 

Happy  all  that  trust  in  Him! 


The  Triumphant  Messiah 

This  Psalm,  like  the  first,  has  no  heading.  It  is  a  victorious 
ode,  rather  than  a  Psalm ;  prefixed  as  an  introduction  to  the  two 
great  Davidic  books  of  Psalms  (3-41,  51-71)  when  they  were 
united  in  one  Psalter.  The  writer  apparently  had  Ezekiel  and 
his  vision  of  Gog  (38f)  behind  him.  One  is  reminded  of  that 
prophecy,  perhaps  also  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah.  He  combines 
the  rebellion  and  overthrow  of  the  nations,  as  in  Ezekiel,  with 
the  Davidic  promises  of  the  anointed  king,  such  as  we  find  in 
Second  Samuel.  The  Temple  possesses  an  importance  almost 
equal  to  that  of  the  king,  as  in  Ezekiel  and  the  early  post-exilian 
prophets.  The  writer  was  also  influenced  in  his  picture  of  the 
conspiring  nations  by  Ps.  59.  It  seems  to  belong  in  thought  to 
that  period  of  the  Messianic  hope  which  immediately  succeeds  the 
restoration  from  Exile.^  Poetically  it  divides  itself  into  four 
stanzas,  fairly  equal  in  length,  of  a  very  rapid  moving  metre,  using 
freely  assonance  and  almost  rhyme. 

1,  2.  Quoted  in  Acts  4  ^^'  ^^  of  Herod,  Pontius  Pilate,  Gentiles 
and  Israelites  gathered  together  against  "Thy  holy  servant,  Jesus, 
whom  Thou  didst  anoint."  I  have  used  in  my  translation  the 
Greek  word  Christ  in  preference  to  the  Hebrew  Messiah  or  the 
English  Anointed,  as  more  familiar  to  the  average  man,  and 
hi^-irision  of  Gog -t'38+)~bekind- hitrr: — Olie  is  lemiutkd  of  that 


^  Cf.  Peters,  Religion  of  the  Hebrews,  chapter  on  The  Messianic 
Hope,  p.  436. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  93 

also  better  fitting  the  rhythm.     The  Anointed  is  David  and  his 
seed,  cf.  Ps.  18'°.    4.     Borrowed  from  Ps.  59.     5.     Cf.  2  Sam. 
5'.  9,  ic,  i7_     7_    2   Sam  7  «-^'    (cited  also  in   1    Chron.    17^°-"). 
The  same  passage  has  been  used  in  the  same  manner  in  Ps. 
3919-29^  and  there  as  here  David  and  his  dynasty  is  God's  son, 
and  his  dominion  is  everlasting  and  over  all  the  world.     It  has 
oeen  used  also,  with  less  emphasis  on  David  and  more  on  Zion, 
its  worship  and  its   priests,   in   Ps.    132.     The  sonship   of   the 
Anointed,  here  applied  to  David  and  his  seed,  is  applied  in  the 
N.  T.  to  Tesus  (Mk.  1  ^\  9--«),  and  in  Heb.  1  ^' ^  our  Psalm  is 
quoted  in  connection  with  2  Sam.  7  "  and  Ps.  89  ==^'  ".     This 
verse  is  cited  by  Paul  in  his  argument  at  Antioch  of  Pisidia  that 
Jesus  was  the  Christ,  and  the  Ps^lm  is  referred  to  by  number 
(Acts    13^^).     8.     This   conception   of    universal   dominion   of 
the  Messiah,  and  victory  over  all  the  nations,  which  seems  to 
indicate  a  time  post  dating  Ezekiel,  appears  in  the  two  some- 
what similar  Psalms  of  the  Messianic  king,  72  and   110.      It 
is  used  also  by  Paul  in  1  Cor.  15  ^^  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
on  earth.     9.     This  is  cited  of  the  Messianic  kingdom  in  Rev. 
2",   17=,    19  ^^     11-12.     The  Hebrew  text  of  these  verses  is 
untranslatable,    and    manifestly   corrupt,   but   contains    in   itself 
the  evidence  of  its  own  corruption  and  the  suggestion  for  its 
correction,  namely  two  cases  cf  dittography.     That  is  to  say, 
twice  in  these  two  verses  the  s::ribe  from  whom  our  ms.  is  de- 
scended started  to  repeat  a  word  just  written.    Erasing  what  he 
repeated  by  accident  we  have  the  text  from  which  I  have  trans- 
lated.    The  last  clause  of  12  is   not  properly  a  part  of  the  first 
stanza  of  this  Psalm,  but  a  sort  of  benediction  appended  to  the 
Psalm,  a  very  common  use  in  Hebrew  Psalmody. 

This  Psalm  has  always  been  extremely  popular  in  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  interpreted,  especially  in  the  latter  ages,  spiritually 
or  metaphorically,  not  in  its  first  literal  sense.     It  is  one  of  the 

Easter  Psalms. 

Ill 

A  Psalm  of  David  when  ht  fled  from  Absalom  his  son. 


LORD,  how   are  they   increased 
that   trouble   me!      Many   are 
they  that    rise   up   against   me. 

2  Many  there  be  which  say  of 
my  soul,  There  is  no  help  for 
him  in  God.     Selah. 

3  But  thou,  O  Lord,  art  a  shield 
for  me;  my  glory,  and  the  lifter 
up  of   mine  head. 


1.  Lord,   how    many    my    foes  1 
Many  rising  against  me, 

2.  Many    saying   concerning    me: 
"There    is    no    help    for    him 

in  God."     Selah. 

3.  But   Thou,   Lord,   art   a    shield 

about   me, 
My   glory,  that  lifteth   up   my 
head; 


94 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


4  I  cried  unto  the  Lord  with 
my  voice,  and  he  heard  me  out  of 

his   holy   hill.     Selah. 

5  I  laid  me  down  and  slept;  I 
awaked ;  for  the  Lord  sustained 
me. 

6  I  will  not  be  afraid  of  ten 
thousands  of  people,  that  have  set 
themselves  against  me  round 
about. 

7  Arise,  O  Lord;  save  me,  O 
my  God :  for  thou  hast  smitten 
all  mine  enemies  upon  the  cheek 
bone;  thou  hast  broken  the  teeth 
of    the    ungodly. 

8  Salvation  bclongeth  unto  the 
Lord  :  thy  blessing  is  upon  thy 
people.      Selah. 


4.  Aloud  to  the  Lord   I   cry; 
And    He   answereth   me    from 

the  hill  of  His  shrine. 

Selah. 

5.  I   laid   me   down   and    slept, 

I   awaked :   for  the   Lord  sus- 
taineth  me; 

6.  I  will  not  fear  myriad  folk. 
Who  have  compassed  me  about. 
{Sacrificial  shout)  Arise, 
Lord  !     Save  me,   O   my   God  ! 

7.    For  Thou  hast  smitten  on  the 
cheekbone    all    my    foes, 
The  teeth  of  the  wicked  Thou 
hast    broken. 

8.  Of  the  Lord  is  the  victory; 
On   Thy  people   Thy  blessing. 

Selah. 
(Benediction) 


Morning  Hymn 

For  heading  and  selah  see  Introduction. 

This  Psahn  was  for  the  royal  morning  whole  burnt  offering. 
While  among  Hebrews  evening  and  morning  was  the  order  of 
thought,  and  the  day  began  at  evening,  in  the  Temple  ritual 
the  morning  sacrifice  antedated  and  was  more  important  than 
the  evening  sacrifice.  It  was  at  first  the  only  daily  sacrifice, 
then  a  meal  offering  was  made  at  evening,  then  flesh  was  sacri- 
ficed, but  always  the  evening  sacrifice  and  its  accompanying 
service  of  psalmody  was  less  important  than  the  morning.  The 
priority  of  date  and  value  of  the  morning  sacrifice  is  reflected 
in  the  position  of  this  Psalm  at  the  beginning  of  the  collection 
of  ritual  hymns  of  the  Jerusalem  Temple. 

It  is  forceful  and  primitive  in  language  and  expression,  brief 
and  rapid  in  its  metrical  effect.  There  are  four  equal  stanzas, 
the  first  two  and  the  last  concluding  each  with  a  selah,  indicat- 
ing the  chorus,  the  trumpet  blasts  or  whatever  was  to  be  intro- 
duced there.  Between  stanzas  3  and  4  there  is  no  selah,  but  a 
sacrifical  praise  cry  to  God  to  arise,  one  of  those  primitive  an- 
thromoi-phisms  which  were  so  offensive  to  later  literal  Judaism. 

The  ritual  liturgical  use  is  plain.  During  the  preparation  of 
the  sacrifice  the  first  three  stanzas  were  sung,  prolonged,  as  might 
be  necessary,  by  the  selah  outbursts  of  chorus  and  glad  noise; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


95 


telling  of  the  foes  that  scoff  at  the  power  of  their  God;  asserting 
their  assurance  of  His  protection  of  them;  closing  (stanza  3) 
with  His  guardianship  during  the  night  past;  affirming  their 
confidence  against  untold  foes.  As  the  fire  is  kindled,  in  which 
God  comes  to  consume  the  sacrifice,  they  raise  the  sacrificial 
praise  shout:  "Arise,  etc."  Then,  sure  of  His  favor,  they  declare 
the  discomfiture  of  the  wicked  enemy,  for  He  is  the  Lord  of 
victory,  and  theirs  is  His  blessing;  indicating  the  benediction  to  be 
pronounced  at  the  close  of  the  sacrifice  (Cf.  Num.  62*26).  ^  jj- 
is  the  hymn  primarily  of  a  militant  kingdom,  but  its  primitive 
militarism  lent  itself  readily  to  later  conditions  of  a  battle  against 
less  material  foes ;  and  in  fact  such  language  was  so  spiritualized 
in  later  Psalms  that  we  are  often  at  a  loss  to  know  whether  the 
enemies  intended  are  of  the  flesh  or  of  the  spirit. 

2.  The  word  here  rendered  help  is  rendered  salvation  in  7 
and  victory  in  8.  It  means  all  three.  3.  Hill  of  My  shrine,  or 
hill  of  My  holiness,  i.  e..  My  holy  hill.  It  occurs  in  both  senses. 
The  former  emphasizes  the  Ark,  representing  the  presence  or 
holiness  of  the  Lord;  the  latter,  the  Temple,  which  ultimately 
itself  became  holy  through  that  presence. 

In  the  French  religious  wars,  when  the  Psalms  were  the 
inspiration  and  the  consolation  of  the  Huguenots,  this  Psalm 
was  sung  in  Conde's  army  at  sentry  relief.  It  was  sung  in 
England  by  the  Anglo-Saxons  when  they  feared  the  Norman 
invasion ;  and  in  Elizabeth's  time  for  help  against  the  Armada. 


•       IV 

To  the  chief  Musician  on  Neginoth,     A  Psalm  of  David. 


HEAR  me  when  I  call,  O  God 
of  my  righteousness :  thou 
hast  enlarged  me  when  I  was  in 
distress ;  have  mercy  upon  me,  and 
hear    my    prayer. 

2  O  ye  sons  of  men,  how  long 
will  ye  turn  my  glory  into  shame? 
how  long  will  ye  love  vanity,  and 
seek    after    leasing?      Selah. 

3  But  know  that  the  Lord  hath 
set  apart  him  that  is  godly  for 
himself:  the  Lord  will  hear  when 
I   call   unto  him. 


1.  When    I   cry,   answer   me   my 

righteous  God  ; 
Make    my    straightness    broad, 
Pity  me  and  hear  my  prayer. 

2.  Sons  of  men,  how  long  hard- 

en  ye  your  hearts? 
Why    love    ye    vanity? 

Seek  ye  lies? 

Selah. 

3.  Know     that     the     Lord     hath 

shown    me     His    marvelous 
love, 
The     Lord     heareth     when     I 


96 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


4  Stand  in  awe,  and  sin  not: 
commune  with  your  own  heart 
upon  your  bed,  and  be  still.    Selah. 

5  Offer  the  sacrifices  of  right- 
eousness, and  put  your  trust  in 
the   Lord. 

6  There  be  many  that  say,  Who 
will  shew  us  any  good?  Lord, 
lift  thou  up  the  light  of  thy  coun- 
tenance upon  us. 

7  Thou  hast  put  gladness  in  my 
heart,  more  than  in  the  time  that 
their  corn  and  their  wine  in- 
creased. 

8  I  will  both  lay  me  down  in 
peace,  and  sleep :  for  thou,  Lord, 
only    makest    me    dwell    in    safety. 


call  upon  Him. 

4.  Tremble    and    sin   not; 
Speak    in    your    heart    as    ye 

lie,  and  be  still. 

Selah. 

5.  Offer     right     offerings, 
And   trust   in   the    Lord. 

6.  Many  are  saying.  Who  show- 

eth  us  good  ? 
Lift   on   us   the   light    of    Thy 
face,    O    Lord. 

7.  Thou   hast   given    gladness    in 

my  heart, 
More    than    at    the    time    of 
their  corn  and  their  wine. 

8.  In    peace    forthwith   I   lay   me 

down   and   sleep. 
For   Thou,    Lord,   keepeth   me 
in    safety   alone. 


Evening  Hymn 

Metrically  this  Psalm  is  quite  different  from  the  preceding, 
to  which  it  is  ritually  and  liturgically  the  companion.  1.  In 
the  first  verse  almost  every  word  ends  with  the  vowel  sound  ee, 
giving  the  effect  of  one  long  drawn  out  cry.  2.  The  Hebrew 
text  must  be  corrected  from  the  Greek.  This  method  of  ad- 
dressing the  world  outside  of  the  worshippers  or  the  Israelite 
is  almost  what  might  be  called  a  stock  use.  3.  After  the  inter- 
lude, following  the  address  to  the  hard  hearted  lovers  of  vanity 
and  lies,  comes  the  contrasted  assurance  of  God's  special  love 
to  Israel.  Here  again  it  has  been  necessary  to  make  a  slight 
correction  from  the  Greek  translation,  supported  by  the  testi- 
mony of  the  similar  passages  in  Ps.  17^,  31  ^^.  4.  The  fourth 
verse  is  the  summons  to  fall  down  with  trembling  bodies  and 
sinless  hearts  prostrate  on  the  gi"Ound  to  await  in  silence  the 
coming  of  the  Lord.  5.-6.  Indicate  that  at  this  point  the  sac- 
rifice was  offered,  and  God  manifested  His  presence  in  the 
fire  which  consumed  it.  Whether  this  was  originally  rubrical, 
adopted  afterwards  into  the  Psalm  text,  as  in  118"^,  it  is  hard 
to  say.  If  these  verses  are  original,  then  this  Psalm  must  date 
from  the  period  after  the  evening  sacrifice  had  become,  like 
the  morning,  a  flesh  sacrifice.  From  other  indications  one  may 
suppose  that  the  original  Psalm  was  earlier,  and  that  these 
verses  represent  a  later  revision.  Right  offerings  is  a  phrase 
used  to  indicate  offerings  unblemished  and  rightly  prepared  (Dt. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


97 


33  ^^  Ps.  51  ",  Mai.  1  ^'  ^  3  3) .  7.  8.  The  concluding  stanza  is  of 
the  customary  tone  after  the  sacrifice  or  offering  has  been  made 
and  accepted,  of  assurance  of  the  favor  and  protection  of 
Yahaweh.  The  joy  of  that  assurance  is  better  even  than  the 
merriment  of  the  harvest  feast.  The  phrase  here  used  for 
this,  "their  corn  and  wine,"  and  for  Yahaweh's  care  of  Israel 
alone,  as  over  against  the  rest  of  the  world,  are  found  together 
in  Dt.  33  2^,  suggesting  that  this  Psalm  or  this  part  of  it 
is  later  than  that  chapter. 


V 

To  the  chief  Musician  upon  Nehiloth,     A  Psalm  of  David. 


GIVE     ear     to     my     words,     O 
Lord;     consider     my     medita- 
tion. 

2  Hearken  unto  the  voice  of  my 
cry,  my  King,  and  my  God :  for 
unto  thee   will  I  pray. 

3  My  voice  shalt  thou  hear  in 
the  morning,  O  Lord  ;  in  the  morn- 
ing will  I  direct  my  prayer  unto 
thee,  and  will  look  up. 

4  For  thou  art  not  a  God  that 
hath  pleasure  in  wickedness; 
neither  shall  evil   dwell   with  thee. 

5  The  foolish  shall  not  stand 
in  thy  sight :  thou  hatest  all 
workers    of    iniquity. 

6  Thou   shalt   destroy  them  that 
speak  leasing :  the  Lord  will  abhor  | 
the  bloody  and  deceitful  man.  I 

7  But   as    for  me,    I    will    come  i 
into    thy    house  in    the    multitude 
of    thy    mercy :  and    in    thy    fear 
will    I    worship  toward    thy    holy 
temple. 

8  Lead  m.e,  O  Lord,  in  thy 
righteousness  because  of  mine  en- 
emies ;  make  thy  way  straight  be- 
fore my  face. 

9  For  there  is  no  faithfulness 
in  their  mouth ;  their  inward  part 
is  very  wickedness ;  their  throat  is 
an  open  sepulchre;  they  flatter 
with  their   tongue. 


1.  To    my    words    give    ear,    O 

Lord, 
Mark    Thou    my    supplication. 

2.  Harken    to    the    voice    of    my 

plea, 
IVIy   king  and  my  God  ; 
For  unto   Thee   I   pray. 

3.  Lord,    at   morn    Thou   hearest 

my   voice, 
At    morn    I    make    ready    for 
Thee  and  watch. 

4.  For  no   god   pleased   with   the 

wicked  art  Thou, 
No     evil     one     lodgeth     with 
Thee. 

5.  Such    serve    not    with    praises 

before   Thine   eyes ; 

Thou    hast    hated    all    doers 

of   wrong. 

6.  Thou   destroyest   the   speakers 

of  lies, 
Men  of   blood   and   deceit  the 
Lord    abhorreth. 

7.  But     I — in     thine     abounding 

mercy    enter  Thine    house, 

I  bow  to   Thy  holy   shrine  in 
Thy    fear. 

8.  Lord,    lead   me  in    Thy    right- 

eousness     because     of      my 
liers    in    wait. 
Make  straight  before  me  Thy 
way. 

9.  For    there     is     no     surety    in 

their    mouth, 
Their  heart  an  abyss. 
An    open   grave   their   throat. 
With  their  tongue  they  flatter. 


98 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


10  Destroy  thou  them,  O  God; 
let  them  fall  by  their  own  coun- 
sels; cast  them  out  in  the  multi- 
tude of  their  transgressions;  for 
they  have  rebelled  against  thee. 

11  But  let  all  those  that  put 
their  trust  in  thee  rejoice:  let 
them  ever  shout  for  joy,  because 
thou  def  endest  them :  let  them 
also  that  love  thy  name  be  joyful 
in   thee. 

12  For  thou,  Lord,  wilt  bless 
the  righteous ;  with  favor  wilt 
thou  compass  him  as  zvith  a  shield. 


10.  Condemn  them,   God, 

Let  them  fail  in  their  de- 
vices. 

For  their  many  transgressions 
thrust    them    out, 

For  they  have  rebelled  against 
Thee. 

11.  And     let     all     that     trust     in 

Thee     rejoice, 
For    ever    let    them    sing,    and 

cover  them   over. 
And    let    the    lovers    of    Thy 

name   exult. 

12.  For   Thou    blessest   the    right- 

eous, Lord  : 
As  with  a  shield  Thou  crown- 
est  him  with  favor. 


Hymn  Before  Dawn 

As  in  the  preceding  Psalm  almost  all  the  words  of  the 
first  stanza,  the  prayer  (vv.  1-3),  end  in  ee,  giving  a  lament 
effect.  The  third  stanza  repeats  a  closing  ekka,  and  the  fourth 
an  ehem  and  etno.  These  are  pronominal  sufifixes  accumulated 
for  poetic  effect.  Poetically  this  Psalm  is  irregular.  It  is 
not  divided  into  stanzas  metrically,  but  by  sense,  dealing 
alternately  with  good  and  bad,  the  righteous  worshipper  and 
the  godless  enemy,  in  a  manner  very  common  in  Hebrew 
and  to   some  extent   in    Sumerian  psalmody. 

1-3.  It  is  a  Psalm  to  be  sung  by  those  officiating  in  the 
Temple  during  the  preparation  for  the  morning  sacrifice 
before  sunrise,  as  shown  clearly  by  the  last  words  of  the 
prayer  (vv.  1-3)  with  which  it  opens.  Literally  those  are: 
"In  the  morning  I  lay  in  order  for  Thee  and  watch,"  i.  e., 
lay  in  order  the  wood  for  Thy  sacrificial  fire  and  watch 
for  sunrise,  when  the  sacrifice  was  to  be  performed,  which 
were  ritual  functions  regularly  assigned  to  certain  priests. 
4-6.  It  is  a  vestry,  choir  or  cloister  Psalm,  for  those  who 
live  in  the  Temple,  whose  life  is  its  service,  and  who  glory 
in  its  safety,  goodness  and  peace  over  against  the  wiles  and 
wickedness  of  the  world.  The  second  stanza  sets  forth  the 
exclusion  of  the  wicked,  primarily  the  godless  heathen,  from 
the  Temple  personnel — they  may  not  lodge  in  the  Temple 
dormitories  (4),  they  may  not  take  their  place  in  the  ranks 
of    the    priests    or    Temple    choirs    that    sing    the    hallels    (5) 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  99 

at  the  sacrifices.    Evil  doers,  liars,^  and  ruffians,  such  as  the  wor- 
shippers of  other  gods  are  conceived  as  being,  God  hates  and 
abhors.    7-8.  In  contrast  with  the  Hfe  of  these,  from  whose  snares 
and    violence    he    prays    to    be    delivered,    is    the    life    of    the 
priest,    through    the    mercy    of    God,    in    the    Temple    courts, 
where  he  sacrifices   and  prostrates   himself   before   the   shrine. 
This  was  the   Holy   Place  on   the  very   summit  of  the  Temple 
Hill,   the   earthly   dwelling   of    Yahaweh,   where   the   Ark    was 
housed,    and    which    men    reverenced    with    a    reverence    that 
was    fear    (cf.,    the    early    Hebrew    name    for    God,    Fear    of 
Isaac).    The  attitude  here  described  was  precisely  that  of  Isaiah 
as  set  forth  in  his  call  to  prophecy    (Is.  6),  and  indeed   this 
Psalm    describes    admirably    the    sentiment    and    practice    of 
such  as  he,  as  represented  in  that  chapter.     He  was  prostrating 
himself  in  fear  toward  the  Holy  Place  when  in  vision  he  found 
himself   in  Yahaweh's  presence  within  it,  and  heard   heavenly 
hosts  chanting  the  praise  song:   "Holy,  holy,  holy"  (holiness  was 
the  shibboleth  of  the  Jerusalem  Temple),  and  received  the  com- 
mand to  denounce  the  wickedness  about  him,  and  God's  punish- 
ment of  the  evil.    9-10.  The  prayer  for  punishment  of  the  wicked, 
who  are  not  Temple  minded,  worshippers  of  Yahaweh.     11-12. 
The  prayer  for  and  a  blessing  on  those  within,  whom  God  covers 
with  a  booth  as  it  were,  like  the  booths  set  up  at  Tabernacles,  and 
guards  them  from  above  with  His  shield,  held  like  a  crown  over 
their  heads. 

VI 

To  the  chief  Musician  on   Neginoth  upon   Sheminith,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


OLORD,     rebuke    me     not     in 
thine    anger,    neither    chasten 
me   in  thy  hot  displeasure. 

2  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  Lord; 
for  I  am  weak:  O  Lord,  heal  me; 
for  my  bones  are  vexed. 

3  My  soul  is  also  sore  vexed : 
but  thou,  O   Lord,  how  long? 


1.  Lord,  rebuke  me  not  in  Thine 

anger,  . 

Neither    chasten    me    m    Thy 
wrath. 

2.  Pity  me,  Lord,  for  I  languish 

away, 
Heal  me,  Lord,  for  my  bones 
are   vexed ; 

3.  All   of   me   is   vexed   sore; 
(Priest) 

But  Thou,  Lord,  how  long? 
(Suppliant) 


1  Cf.  Avesta,  Yasna  LI,  "He  who  seeks  to  destroy  my  life  is  a  son 
of  the  Lie's  creation  and  belongs  to  the  miscreants;  but  as  for  me,  I 
call  on  Asha  to  be  my  help." 


100 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


4  Return,  O  Lord,  deliver  my 
soul :  oh  save  me  for  thy  mercies' 
sake. 

5  For  in  death  there  is  no  re- 
membrance of  thee :  in  the  grave 
who   shall  give  thee   thanks? 

6  I  am  weary  with  my  groan- 
ing; all  the  night  make  I  my  bed 
to  swim ;  I  water  my  couch  with 
my   tears. 

7  Mine  eye  is  consumed  because 
of  grief ;  it  waxeth  old  because 
of   all  mine   enemies. 

8  Depart  from  me,  all  ye  work- 
ers of  iniquity;  for  the  Lord  hath 
heard  the  voice  of  my  weeping. 

9  The  Lord  hath  heard  my  sup- 
plication; the  Lord  will  receive  my 
prayer. 

10  Let  all  mine  enemies  be 
ashamed  and  sore  vexed :  let  them 
return   and   be   ashamed    suddenly. 


4.  Turn,    oh    Lord,     deliver    my 

Hfe, 
Save     me     for     Thy     mercy's 

sake. 
(Priest) 

5.  For    in    death    Thou    art    not 

named ; 
In  hell  who  thanketh  Thee? 
(Suppliant) 

6.  I    am   weary   with   my   groan- 

ing, 
Each  night  wash  I  my  bed, 
I    water    my    couch    with    my 

tears. 

7.  Mine  eye  hath  wasted  because 

of    grief, 
Hath  aged  through   my  many 
adversaries. 

8.  Depart  from  me,  all  ye  doers 

of   evil, 
For  the   Lord   hath   heard   the 
voice    of    my    weeping; 

9.  The    Lord    hath    heard    mine 

entreaty. 
The  Lord  receiveth  my  prayer. 

10.    Ashamed  and  vastly  dismayed 
all  my   foes. 
Turned    back,    put    to    shame 
suddenly ! 


The  Sin  Offering 

Metrically  this  Psalm  is  one  of  the  choicest  specimens  of 
the  use  of  assonance,  the  ee  sound  predominating,  especially 
at  the  close  of  each  verse,  thus  giving  a  long  drawn  out 
penitential  effect.  In  purpose,  tone  and  method  it  is  closely 
akin  to  the  old  Babylonian  penitential  Psalms,  as  one  of 
those  analyzed  ritually  by  JasTOvv  in  his  Religion  of  Baby- 
lofiia  and  Assyria  will  serve  to  show. 
The   penitent   addressing   his    g  oddess : 

I,  thy  servant,  full  of  sighs,  call  upon  thee; 

The  fervent  prayer  of  him  who  has  sinned  do  thou  accept. 

If  thou  lookest  upon  a  man,  that  man  lives. 

O  all-powerful  mistress  of  mank'nd, 

Merciful  one,  to  whom  it  is  good  to  turn,  who  hears  sighs ! 

Then  the  priest  prays  to  the  goddess  thus: 

His  god  and  goddess  being  angry  with  him,  he  calls  upon  thee, 
Turn  towards  him  thy  countenance,  take  hold  of  his  hand. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  101 

Then  the  penitent  continues: 

Besides  thee,  there  is  no  guiding  deity, 

I  implore  thee  to  look  upon  me  and  hear  my  sighs, 

Proclaim  pacification,  and  may  thy  soul  be  appeased. 

How  long,  O  my  mistress,  till  thy  countenance  be  turned  towards  me. 

Like  doves,  I  lament,  I  satiate  myself  with  sighs. 

Then    the   priest : 

With  pain  and  ache,  his  soul  is  full  of  sighs; 
Tears  he  weeps,  he  pours  forth  lament. 

On  the  Babylonian  monuments  the  suppliant  sinner,  regu- 
larly a  king,  is  represented  standing  before  the  divinity,  the 
priest,  or  perhaps  sometimes  an  interceding  deity,  holding 
him  by  the  hand.  So  here  the  suppliant,  with  the  priest, 
appears  before  Yahaweh  and  ,l-3a,  makes  his  plea  for  healing.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  every  calamity  and  each  sickness  was 
regarded  as  a  punishment  from  Yahaweh  for  transgression  of  His 
law,  ethically  or  ritually.  So  here  the  sickness  described  is  the 
evidence  and  result  of  Yahaweh's  wrath  (cf.  for  a  similar 
confession  38^^,  Jer.  10^*).  3b.  The  priest  is  the  technical 
expert,  and  his  intercession  in  the  suppliant's  name  is  intro- 
duced by  the  very  ancient  ritual  phrase  How  long.  4.  Then 
follows  the  plea  to  Yahaweh  for  deliverance  from  guilt,  i.  e., 
the  calamity  or  sickness  resulting  from  the  sin,  for  His  love, 
or  mercy's  sake.  5.  Then  the  priest,  as  technical  expert, 
addresses  to  Yahaweh  a  shrewd  reminder  that  if  the  pun- 
ishment should  result  in  death  there  would  be  no  naming  of 
Him,  that  is  no  sacrifice  for  Him  {zeker,  memorial,  used 
here  in  general  for  sacrifice,  as,  in  the  similar  passage  in 
Is.  38  ^^,  hallel,  the  sacrificial  praise  cry,  is  used  in  the  same 
sense),  and  no  thank  offering  for  deliverance  (cf.  Is.  38^*). 
The  story  of  Hezekiah's  deliverance  from  sickness  with  his 
thank  offering  Psalm  therefor  is  an  admirable  illustration 
of  the  belief  and  practice  behind  this  Psalm.  6,  7.  Then 
follows  another  picture  of  the  suppliant's  misery,  appealing 
to  God's  pity.  8,  9.  The  confession  made,  and  thus,  as  it 
were,  restitution  to  God,  there  follows  absolution  from  his 
guilt,  peace  with  Yahaweh,  and  the  offering  of  whatsoever 
sacrifice  had  been  vowed  for  deliverance  and  restoration,  and 
then  we  have  the  triumphant  cry  of  the  man  whose  prayer 
is    answered,    and    his    calamity    removed,    the    usual    close    of 


102 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


such  liturgies.  Doers  of  evil,  primarily  the  heathen  adver- 
saries (7)  or  foes  (10).  10.  This  is  regularly  followed 
by  the  prayer  for  punishment  of  his  foes.  In  the  Babylonian 
liturgies  the  calamity  seems  to  come  from  some  god  or  god- 
dess, against  whom  the  suppliant  appeals.  With  Hebrew 
monotheism  it  must  come  from  God,  but  apparently  through 
evil  agencies,  human  or  spiritual,  whose  devices  against  him 
became  effective  through  God's  disfavor,  but  who  by  the 
restoration  of  that  favor  are  overwhelmed  and  put  to  shame 
suddenly. 

This  is  the  first  of  the  seven  penitential  Psalms  of  the 
Christian  Church  (6,  32,  38,  51,  102,  130,  143),  assigned 
particularly  to  Ash  Wednesday. 

VII 

Shiggaion  of  David,  which  he  sang  unto  the  Lord,  concerning  the  words  of  Cush  the 

Benjamite. 

OLORD  my  God,  in  thee  do  I 
put  my  trust :  save  me  from 
all  them  that  persecute  me,  and 
deliver    me: 

2  Lest  he  tear  my  soul  like  a 
lion,  rending  it  in  pieces,  while 
there  is  none  to  deliver. 

3  O  Lord  my  God,  if  I  have 
done  this ;  if  there  be  iniquity 
in    my   hands ; 

4  If  I  have  rew^arded  evil  unto 
him  that  was  at  peace  with  me ; 
(yea,  I  have  delivered  him  that 
without  cause  is  mine  enemy)  ; 

5  Let  the  enemy  persecute  my 
soul,  and  take  it;  yea,  let  him 
tread  down  my  life  upon  the 
earth,  and  lay  mine  honor  in  the 
dust.     Selah. 

6  Arise,  O  Lord,  in  thine  anger, 
lift  up  thyself  because  of  the  rage 
of  mine  enemies :  and  awake  for 
me  to  the  judgment  that  thou  hast 
commanded. 

7  So    shall    the   congregation    of       7. 
the    people    compass    thee    about : 
for    their    sakes    therefore    return 
thou  on  high. 

8  The  Lord  shall  judge  the  peo- 
ple: judge  me,  O  Lord,  according 
to  my  righteousness,  and  accord- 
ing to  mine  integrity  that  is  in 
me. 


Lord  my  God,  in  Thee  I  have 

sought   refuge. 
Save  me  from  all  that  pursue 

me,   and   rescue  me; 
Lest  they  tear  me  like  a  lion, 
Rending  and  none  rescuing. 

Lord  my  God,  if  I  have  done 

this. 
If  there  be  evil  in  my  hands, 
If    I   have    requited   mine    ally 

with  ill. 
Or    spoiled    mine    adversaries 

without  cause ; 
Let  the  enemy  pursue  me  and 

overtake. 
And  trample  me  down  to  the 

ground. 
And   lay  my  life   in   the  dust. 

Selah. 
Rise,   Lord,   in   Thy  wrath   be 

lift   up. 
Against    the    raging    of    mine 

adversaries    awake ! 
For  me  hast  Thou  given   de- 
cision. 
And  the  gathering  of  peoples 

surroundeth    Thee, 
And  thereover  on  high  return 

Thou. 
The  Lord  judgeth  nations; 
The    Lord    hath    decided    for 

me. 
After    my    righteousness,    and 

after  mine  integrity  in  me. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


103 


9  Oh  let  the  wickedness  of  the 
wicked  come  to  an  end ;  but  es- 
tablish the  just:  for  the  righteous 
God  trieth  the  hearts  and   reins. 

10  My  defence  is  of  God,  which 
saveth  the  upright  in  heart. 

11  God  judgeth  the  righteous, 
and  God  is  angry  with  the  wicked 
every   day. 

12  If  he  turn  not,  he  will  whet 
his  sword;  he  hath  bent  his  bow, 
and  made  it  ready. 

13  He  hath  also  prepared  for 
him  the  instruments  of  death;  he 
ordaineth  his  arrows  against  the 
persecutors. 

14  Behold,  he  travaileth  with 
iniquity,  and  hath  conceived  mis- 
chief, and  brought  forth  false- 
hood. 

15  He  made  a  pit,  and  digged 
it,  and  is  fallen  into  the  ditch 
which   he   made. 

16  His  mischief  shall  return 
upon  his  own  head,  and  his  vio- 
lent dealing  shall  come  down  upon 
his  own  pate. 

17  I  will  praise  the  Lord  ac- 
cording to  his  righteousness;  and 
will  sing  praise  to  the  name  of 
the  Lord  most  high. 


9.    Let  come  to  an  end  the  wrong 
of  the  wicked, 
And  establish  Thou  the  right- 
eous. 
(And   the   righteous   God  tries 
hearts   and   reins. 

10.  My  shield  is  with  God. 

Who    saveth    the    upright    of 
heart. 

11.  God  is  a  righteous  judge. 
And    a    God      that     avengeth 

daily.) 

12.  Surely    He    will    again    whet 

His    sword. 
His    bow    He   hath    trod    and 
aimed  it, 

13.  And    aimed    at    him    weapons 

of    death ; 
His  arrows  He  maketh  light- 
nings. 

14.  Behold  he  conceiveth  idolatry, 
And  travaileth  with  iniquity; 
And  hath  brought  forth  a  lie. 

15.  A  pit  he  cut  out  and  digged, 
And   fell   in   the  hole  that  he 

made. 

16.  His  evil  returneth  on  his  own 

head. 
And  on  his  own  pate  his  vio- 
lence descendeth. 

17.  I — make    thanks    to    the    Lord 

after    His    righteousness. 
And  sing  psalms  to  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Most  High. 


Unwitting  Sin 

The  cause  of  the  calamity  that  befell  a  man  was  not  always 
known,  as  in  the  case  of  Job,  nevertheless  it  must  have 
been,  according  to  the  popular  belief,  sin,  even  if  unwitting. 
This  is  a  common  good  of  ancient  religions,  and  for  such 
unwitting  sins  a  special  ritual  was  provided.  So  in  the 
Indian  Atharva  Veda  (VII,  VI,  115):  "From  the  sins  which 
knowingly  or  unknowingly  we  have  committed,  do  ye,  all 
gods,  of  one  accord  release  us."  Similar  examples  from 
Babylonian  penitential  Psalms  were  given  in  the  introduction. 
In  the  ritual  contained  in  the  Hebrew  Law  provision  is 
made  for  cases  of  unwitting  sin  committed  by  the  king,  high 
priest   or   community   at   large   and   bringing   calamity    on    the 


104  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

entire  nation  (like  the  plague  resulting  from  David's  census, 
2  Sam.  24),  or  by  an  individual  and  bringing  calamity  on 
himself  and  family  (Lev.  4).  This  Psalm  is  designated  by 
its  heading,  sJiiggaion  (cf.  Introduction),  as  the  liturgy  to 
accompany  the  sacrifices  provided  in  that  ritual.  Clearly, 
moreover,  this  shiggaion  was  for  unwitting  sin  committed  by 
the  ruler,  and  bringing  disaster  on  the  nation,  the  particular 
disaster  being,  according  to  the  references  in  the  Psalm,  inva- 
sion by  hostile  peoples. 

1,  2.  It  opens  with  a  cry  to  Yahaweh  for  deliverance  from 
a  pursuing  foe  in  a  form  which  may  be  described  as  a 
stock  liturgical  phrase  (11  ^,  31  ^,  71  ^).  Lion:  it  is  needless  to 
remind  the  reader  how  present  to  the  Israelite  of  those  days 
was  the  peril  from  lions,  and  how  vivid  and  forceful  there- 
fore the  figure  used  here.  3-5.  Next  follows  the  protestation 
of  ignorance  of  the  sin  committed,  for,  like  Job,  the  ignorant 
or  innocent  culprit  might  be  hard  put  to  it  to  assign  an 
adequate  cause  for  the  calamity.  He  has  not  infringed  the 
law  of  nations,  either  by  attacking  a  friendly  and  unprepared 
neighbor,  or  by  making  war  on  or  raiding  an  unfriendly 
people  without  recognized  cause.  Verse  5,  literally  pursue  my 
soul,  trample  my  life,  lay  my  liver,  three  synonyms  for  the 
emphatic  me.  Selah  at  the  end  of  this  stanza  suggests  the 
performance  of  the  ritual  act,  the  sacrifice  and  its  accom- 
paniment, or  the  preparation  for  the  same.  6-8.  There  follow 
the  ritual  cries,  common  to  Babylonians  as  to  Hebrews,  arise, 
lift  up  Thyself,  azuake,  with  which  God,  having  partaken  of 
the  sacrifice,  was  called  upon  to  respond  in  action.  This  is 
accompanied  by  the  triumphant  asseveration  that  God  has 
given  judgment  in  favor  of  the  suppliant  against  the  sur- 
rounding host  of  hostile  peoples,  and  with  the  smoke  of  the 
sacrifice  has  gone  up  in  their  piesence  to  His  seat  in  heaven. 
Because  of  the  suppliant's  righteousness  and  integrity,  accom- 
plished or  made  clear  by  the  acceptance  of  his  sacrifice,  for 
which  God  came  down  to  His  Temple,  He  has  judged  the 
nations  and  given  decision  for  the  suppliant.  One  is  re- 
minded of  Job's  appeal  to  God  to  sit  in  judgment,  when  he 
is  charged  by  his  friends  with  sin.  The  judgment  motive 
is  common  in  the  Judean  Psalms,  occurring  eleven  times  in 
book  1  and  sixteen  times  in  books  4  and  5,  but  only  once  in 
the  Korah  and  Asaphite  Psalms.  9-13.  Next,  opening  with 
a  prayer  to  put  an  end  to  wrong,  comes  a  picture  of  God  as  a 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  105 

warrior  roused  to  action,  spanning  His  bow  with  His  feet, 
shooting  His  Hghtnings  at  the  enemy.  This  is  interrupted  by 
a  later  insertion,  Elohistic,  of  various  praise  shouts,  9b-ll, 
the  first  (9  b),  a  variation  of  a  Hturgical  phrase  famiHar  in 
Jeremiah  (11  ='^  \7  ^\  20"),  the  second  (10a)  from  Ps. 
18^°,  and  the  others  modifications  of  stock  Psalm  phrases. 
14-16.  This  is  succeeded  by  a  spott-lied  of  triumph  over  the 
bafliled  foe.  Both  this  and  the  preceding  stanza  are  charac- 
teristic of  the  liturgical-ritual  method,  akin  to  sympathetic 
magic  as  to  faith  healing,  of  assuming  a  favorable  response 
in  order  to  make  the  response  favorable.  Idolatry,  the  regular 
meaning  of  the  word  in  the  prophets.  Note  the  combination: 
false  or  idolatrous  worship,  iniquity,  the  lie.  Such  to  the 
pious  Hebrew  were  all  religions  but  his  own.  17.  The  Psalm 
closes,  as  commonly,  with  the  praise  cry,  Thanks,  i.  e.,  thank 
offerings.  We  have  here  the  two  concomitants  of  proper  wor- 
ship, the  sacrifice  and  the  psalmody  accompanying  it.  The  name 
of  God  is  here  given  in  a  most  unusual  form,  the  Yahaweh  of 
Judean  use  combined  with  the  ancient  and  primitive  Elyon,  Most 
High.  To  this  is  prefixed  the  name.  Name  came  ultimately  to 
stand  for  God  as  almost  an  independent  entity.  We  can  trace 
something  of  the  growth  toward  that  in  the  Judean  Psalms ;  for, 
whereas  it  appears  only  twice  in  book  1,  it  is  found  18  times  in 
books  IV  and  V.  (In  the  Prayers  of  David,  and  the  Korah 
and  Asaph  Psalms   it  occurs   respectively  7,   5   and  6   times.) 

VIII 

To  the  chief  Musician  upon  Gittith,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


OLORD  our  Lord,  how  excel- 
lent is  thy  name  in  all  the 
earth!  who  hast  set  thy  glory 
above  the  heavens. 

2  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes 
and  sucklings  hast  thou  ordained 
strength  because  of  thine  enemies, 
that  thou  mightest  still  the  enemy 
and    the    avenger. 

3  When  I  consider  thy  heavens, 
the  work  of  thy  fingers,  the  moon 
and  the  stars,  which  thou  hast 
ordained ; 


1.  O  Lord,  our  Lord, 

How    glorious    is    Thy    name 

in   all   the  world ! 
Whose     splendor     is     exalted 

above  the  heavens ! 

2.  Out    of    the    mouth    of    babes 

and    sucklings 
Hast  Thou  ordained  a  strong- 
hold, 
Because  of  Thine  adversaries, 
To  still  the  enemy  and  aven- 
ger. 

3.  When    I    regard   the   heavens, 

the   work  of   Thy   fingers, 
Moon   and   stars  which   Thou 
hast    formed; 


106 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


4  What  is  man,  that  thou  art 
mindful  of  him?  and  the  son  of 
man,  that  thou  visitest  him? 

5  For  thou  hast  made  him  a 
little  lower  than  the  angels,  and 
hast  crowned  him  with  glory  and 
honor. 

6  Thou  madest  him  to  have  do- 
minion over  the  works  of  thy 
hands ;  thou  hast  put  all  things 
under  his  feet: 

7  All  sheep  and  oxen,  yea,  and 
the  beasts  of  the  field; 

8  The  fowl  of  the  air,  and  the 
fish  of  the  sea,  and  whatsoever 
passeth  through  the  paths  of  the 
seas. 

9  O  Lord  our  Lord,  how  excel- 
lent is  thy  name  in  all  the  earth  I 


4.  What    is    man,    that    thou    re- 

memberest   him. 
And    the    son    of    man,    that 
Thou   visitest  him? 

5.  Thou  madest  him  little   lower 

than   the   gods, 
And      crownedst      him      with 
glory    and    honor. 

6.  Thou    makest    him    rule    the 

work   of   thy   hands. 
Thou     hast     put     everything 
under   his   feet; 

7.  Sheep  and  cattle,  all  of  them, 
And    the    very    beasts    of    the 

field ; 

8.  Birds  of  the  heaven,  and  fish 

of    the    sea. 
That  traverse  the  paths  of  the 
sea. 

9.  O  Lord,  our  Lord, 

How    glorious    Thy    name    in 
all    the    world. 


Lord  Our  Lord 

1.  This  Psalm  is  metrically  carefully  organized,  opening 
and  closing  with  an  ascription  of  praise,  varied  by  the  addi- 
tion of  a  line  in  the  opening  verse.  Apparently  that  line  in 
the  Hebrew  text  is  defective,  and  I  have  followed  the  Greek 
text.  The  Lord  our  Lord:  used  elsewhere  only  in  Neh,  10^^^. 
This  may  indicate  for  the  ascription  of  praise  a  later  date 
than  for  the  remainder  of  the  Psalm ;  and  indeed  not  infre- 
quently refrains  like  rubrics  are  later  than  the  surrounding 
text.  The  remainder  of  the  Psalm  is  clearly  ancient.  2.  The 
first  stanza  is  a  glorification  of  the  strength  of  Yahaweh's 
stronghold,  a  sure  place  of  refuge  against  the  enemy  who 
pursues  them  like  the  avenger  of  blood.  Babes  and  sucklings 
may  safely  there  praise  Yahaweh.  One  is  reminded  of  the 
Jebusite  boast  (2  Sam.  5  ^)  that  the  blind  and  lame  could 
hold  the  fortress  of  Jerusalem  against  David.  3,  4.  The 
second  stanza  contrasts  the  greatness  of  God,  throned  above 
the  heavens,  with  the  pettiness  of   man,   of   whom  He  is  yet 


^  In  the  Hebrew  text,  but  not  in  the  Greek.  In  itself  the  combina- 
tion seems  mono-Yahawistic,  representing  that  stage  of  religious  develop- 
ment where  Yahaweh  was  the  one  Lord  of  the  Hebrews. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  107 

mindful,  visiting  him  in  His  Temple  in  his  hour  of  need. 
Moon  and  stars:  The  night  sky  is  chosen  as  giving  the 
greatest  impression  of  space  and  distance,  and  nowhere  is  that 
more  felt  than  in  the  wonderful  nights  of  Jerusalem.  Fingers : 
instead  of  hands,  perhaps  to  emphasize  still  more  the  greatness 
of  God.  One  finds  in  this  stanza  something  of  that  contrast 
between  the  infinite  majesty  of  God  and  His  tender  care  for 
man  which  is  so  effectively  used  in  the  Te  Deum,  and  which 
runs  through  Christian  hymnody.  5-8.  The  third  and  fourth 
stanzas  describe  man's  position  in  the  divine  plan  in  language 
which  reminds  one  of  Gen.  1  "'^°,  but  which  in  idea  and 
conception  belongs  rather  with  the  primitive  picture  of  creation 
in  the  narrative  of  Gen.  2.  In  Gen.  1  we  have  the  highly 
spiritual,  absolutely  monotheistic  conception  of  God,  who 
creates  by  His  word,  and  makes  man  in  His  own  image,  for 
there  is  but  one  image  of  the  divine,  to  rule  over  the  world 
of  His  creation.  In  our  Psalm  man  is  made  a  little  lower 
than  the  gods  (cf.  86®).  For  Israel  there  is  but  one  Lord, 
Yahaweh,  as  in  the  language  of  the  Psalm  inscription,  but 
theoretically  there  are  other  gods,  the  gods  of  the  nations 
about,  who  have  not  yet  become  altogether  "not  gods,"  to  use 
the  language  of  the  later  prophetic  monotheism.  The  atti- 
tude of  the  Psalmist  may  to  some  extent  be  compared  with 
the  picture  presented  by  Milton  in  the  first  canto  of  Paradise 
Lost.  So  also  God  is  represented  anthropomorphically,  as  it 
were  a  man  many  times  magnified,  with  His  fingers  fashioning 
moon  and  stars.  The  Psalm  clearly  antedates  Gen.  1,  repre- 
senting the  noble  but  more  primitive  conception  out  of  which 
the  author  of  that  chapter  developed  His  grandly  spiritual 
picture  of  man's  place  in  the  universe.  It  belongs  in  time 
with  Gen.  2. 

This  is  a  Temple  hymn,  to  be  used  not  by  itself  as  a 
liturgy  for  some  specific  sacrifice,  but  in  general  as  a  praise 
song  with  or  in  other  liturgies,  glorifying  Yahaweh,  their 
Lord  on  high,  and  exalting  the  Temple,  His  earthly  abode, 
to  which  He  is  summoned  by  their  sacrifices  and  praises,  and 
which  through  His  presence  is  a  strong  hold  against  their 
foes.  His  is  the  might  and  majesty;  they  are  but  babes  and 
sucklings,  yet  by  His  grace  set  but  little  below  the  gods, 
and  through  Him  endued  with  dominion  over  all  nature. 

Verses  6  and  7  of  this  Psalm  are  the  motto  of  the  Butchers 
Company,  one  of  the  old  trade  guilds  of  London,  a  characteristic 


108 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


example  of  a  certain  kind  of  influence  the  Psalms  have  exerted 
in  practical  life. 


IX.  X 

To  the  chief  Musician  upon  ^''uthlabhen,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


I  WILL  praise  thee,  O  Lord,  with 
my    whole    heart ;    I    will    shew 
forth   all   thy   marvellous   works. 

2  I  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in 
thee :  I  will  sing  praise  to  thy 
name,  O   thou   Most   High. 

3  When  mine  enemies  are  turned 
back,  they  shall  fall  and  perish 
at   thy   presence. 

4  For  thou  hast  maintained  my 
right  and  my  cause ;  thou  satest 
in  the  throne  judging  right. 

5  Thou  hast  rebuked  the  heath- 
en, thou  hast  destroyed  the  wick- 
ed, thou  hast  put  out  their  name 
for    ever    and    ever. 

6  O  thou  enemy,  destructions 
are  come  to  a  perpetual  end :  and 
thou  hast  destroyed  cities ;  their 
memorial    is    perished    with    them. 

7  But  the  Lord  shall  endure 
for  ever :  he  hath  prepared  his 
throne    for   judgment. 

8  And  he  shall  judge  the  world 
in  righteousness,  he  shall  minister 
judgment  to  the  people  in  up- 
rightness. 

9  The  Lord  also  will  be  a  refuge 
for  the  oppressed,  a  refuge  in 
times   of   trouble. 

10  And  they  that  know  thy 
name  will  put  their  trust  in  thee : 
for  thou.  Lord,  hast  not  forsaken 
them   that   seek   thee. 

11  Sing  praises  to  the  Lord, 
which  dwelleth  in  Zion :  declare 
among  the  people  his   doings. 


1.  Aleph — I  thank  the  Lord  with 

all  my  heart ; 
Let  me  recount  all  Thy  won- 
ders, 

2.  Let  me  be  glad  and  exult  in 

Thee, 
Let     me     chant     Thy     name. 
Most    High ; 

3.  Beth — Because    mine    enemies 

are    turned    back. 
They    stumble   and   perish   be- 
fore   Thee ; 

4.  For     Thou     hast     maintained 

my  right  and  my  cause, 
Thou  didst  sit  on  Thy  throne 
judging    right. 

5.  Gimel — Thou  has  rebuked  na- 

tions, destroyed  the   wicked, 
Blotted    out    their    name    for- 
ever   and    aye ; 

6.  The  foe  is  become  nought  but 

ruins  forever, 
The     memory     of     the     cities 

Thou    uprootest    is    perished 

altogether. 
{Daleth  and  He  Wanting.     In 

their    place     one    unlettered 

stanza.) 
.     And    the    Lord    sitteth    ever, 
Establishing    His    throne     for 

judgment, 

8.  And  He  judgeth  the  world  in 

righteousness, 
In     equity     He     judgeth     the 
peoples. 

9.  Wau — And     the     Lord     is     a 

fortress    for    the    distressed, 
A    fortress    in    times    of    ad- 
versity ; 

10.  And     they     that     know     Thy 

name  trust   Thee, 
For    Thou    hast    not    forsaken 
them  that  seek  Thee. 

11.  Zayin — Chant      to     the     Lord 

who    inhabiteth    Zion, 
Declare     among     the     nations 
His   doings ; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


109 


12  When  he  maketh  inquisition 
for  blood,  he  remembereth  them : 
he  forgetteth  not  the  cry  of  the 
humble. 

13  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O 
Lord;  consider  my  trouble  which 
J  suffer  of  them  that  hate  me, 
thou  that  liftest  me  up  from  the 
gates    of    death : 

14  That  I  may  shew  forth  all 
thy  praise  in  the  gates  of  the 
daughter  of  Zion:  I  will  rejoice 
in   thy   salvation. 

15  The  heathen  are  sunk  down 
in  the  pit  that  they  made :  in  the 
net  which  they  hid  is  their  own 
foot  taken. 

16  The  Lord  is  known  by  the 
judgment  which  he  executeth:  the 
wicked  is  snared  in  the  work  of 
his  own  hands.     Higgaion.     Selah. 

17  The  wicked  shall  be  turned 
into  hell,  and  all  the  nations  that 
forget   God. 

18  For  the  needy  shall  not  al- 
ways be  forgotten :  the  expecta- 
tion of  the  poor  shall  not  perish 
for   ever. 

19  Arise,  O  Lord;  let  not  man 
prevail:  let  the  heathen  be  judged 
in  thy  sight. 

20  Put  them  in  fear,  O  Lord: 
that  the  nations  may  know  them- 
selves  to   be   but  men.      Selah. 


WHY    standest  thou    afar    off. 
O    Lord?      why   hidest   thou 
thyself  in  times  of  trouble? 

2  The  wicked  in  his  pride  doth 
persecute  the  poor :  let  them  be 
taken  in  the  devices  that  they 
have  imagined. 

3  For  the  wicked  boasteth  of 
his  heart's  desire,  and  blesseth  the 
covetous,  whom  the  Lord  abhor- 
reth. 

4  The  wicked,  through  the  pride 
of  his  countenance,  will  not  seek 
after  God :  God  is  not  in  all  his 
thoughts. 


12.  For     the     avenger     of     blood 

hath   remembered   them, 
He    hath    not     forgotten    the 
cry  of  the  wretched. 

13.  Heth — Pity     me,     Lord,     see 

mine  affliction  by  my  haters, 
Thou  who  liftest  me  up  from 
the  gates  of  death. 

14.  That    I    may    recount   all    Thy 

praises. 
May   rejoice   in   Thy   salvation 
in   the  gates   of   the   daugh- 
ter of  Zion. 

15.  Teth — The    nations    are    sunk 

in   the   pit  they   have   made, 
In    the    net    which    they    hid 
their   own   foot   is   taken. 

16.  The    Lord    hath    shown    him- 

self,    hath     executed     judg- 
ment. 
The    wicked    is    snared    in   his 
own    handiwork. 

Higgaion.     Selah. 

17.  Yodh — Let  the   wicked   return 

into    hell, 
All  nations  forgetful   of   God  ; 

18.  For  the  needy  is  not  forgotten 

forever, 
The    desire    of    the    wretched 
perisheth    not. 

19.  Arise,  Lord,  let  not  man  pre- 

vail. 
Bring    the     nations    to    judg- 
ment   before    Thee ; 

20.  Give  them  a  lesson,  Lord, 
To  know  they  are  but  men. 

Selah. 


(For  the  stanzas  kaf,  lamedh, 
mim,  nun,  samckh,  'ayin,  pe  and 
sadhe  of  the  original  Psalm,  16 
verses  in  all,  have  been  substituted 
eleven  verses,  outside  of  the  acros' 
tic  scheme,  which  see  p.  111.  The 
acrostic  is  resumed  with  verse  12 
of  Ps.  10.) 

12.  Qof — Arise,  Lord,  lift  up  Thy 

hand. 
Forget    not    the    wretched. 

13.  Wherefore    hath     the    wicked 

despised  God? 
Hath    said  in  his  heart.   Thou 
avengest  not? 


no 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


5  His  ways  are  always  griev- 
ous; thy  judgments  are  far  above 
out  of  his  sight:  as  for  all  his 
enemies,  he  puffeth  at  them. 

6  He  hath  said  in  his  heart,  I 
shall  not  be  moved:  for  /  shall 
never  be  in  adversity. 

7  His  mouth  is  full  of  cursing 
and  deceit  and  fraud:  under  his 
tongue  is  mischief  and  vanity. 

8  He  sitteth  in  the  lurking  places 
of  the  villages :  in  the  secret 
places  doth  he  murder  the  inno- 
cent: his  eyes  are  privily  set 
against  the  poor. 

9  He  lieth  in  wait  secretly  as 
a  lion  in  his  den:  he  lieth  in 
wait  to  catch  the  poor :  he  doth 
catch  the  poor,  when  he  draweth 
him  into  his  net. 

10  He  croucheth,  ayid  humbleth 
himself,  that  the  poor  may  fall 
by  his   strong  ones. 

11  He  hath  said  in  his  heart, 
God  hath  forgotten:  he  hideth  his 
face ;  he  will  never  see  it. 

12  Arise,  O  Lord;  O  God,  lift 
up  thine  hand:  forget  not  the 
humble. 

13  Wherefore  doth  the  wicked 
contemn  God?  he  hath  said  in 
his  heart.  Thou  wilt  not  require  it. 

14  Thou  hast  seen  it;  for  thou 
beholdest  mischief  and  spite,  to 
require  it  with  thy  hand  :  the  poor 
committeeth  himself  unto  thee ; 
thou  art  the  helper  of  the  father- 
less. 

15  Break  thou  the  arm  of  the 
wicked  and  the  evil  ma^i;  seek  out 
his  wickedness  till  thou  find  none. 

16  The  Lord  is  King  for  ever 
and  ever :  the  heathen  are  perished 
out   of   his   land. 

17  Lord,  thou  hast  heard  the 
desire  of  the  humble:  thou  wilt 
prepare  their  heart,  thou  wilt 
cause    thine    ear    to    hear: 

18  To  judge  the  fatherless  and 
the  oppressed,  that  the  man  of 
the  earth  may  no  more  oppress. 


14.  Resh  {Text  too  corrupt  for 
translation.  The  gist  of  it 
is  that  the  Lord  has  seen 
the  trouble  and  grief,  and 
that  He  is  the  helper  of  the 
fatherless  and  hapless.) 

l.S.     Shin — Break    the    arm    of    the 
wicked    and    evil    one. 
Avenge     his     wickedness     till 
Thou  find  none. 

16.  The     Lord     is     king     forever 

and  aye, 
The  nations  have  perished  out 
of    His   land. 

17.  Tau— The       desire       of       the 

wretched  Thou  heardest,   O 
Lord, 
Thou    givest    them    heed,    in- 
clinest   Thine    ear; 

18.  To    judge    for    the    fatherless 

and   oppressed. 
That  men  may  no  more  strike 
terror. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  111 

An  Alphabetic  Acrostic 

(The  other  alphabetic  acrostics  of  the  Psalter  are  25,  34, 
37,  111,  112,  119,  145.)  Psalms  9  and  10  are  parts  of  one 
whole,  and  are  correctly  so  given  in  the  Greek  translation. 
The  Hebrew,  although  it  divides  them,  has  provided  no 
separate  heading  for  10.  The  original  Psalm  consisted  of 
44  verses,  each  third  verse  commencing  with  a  different  letter 
of  the  alphabet  in  order,  two  verses  being  thus  assigned  to 
each  letter.  It  was  a  Psalm  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  for  the 
deliverance  of  the  land  from  hostile  invasion.  Later  it  was 
divided  in  the  middle,  after  stanza  yodh,  and  a  proper  sacri- 
ficial praise  shout  provided  at  this  point,  commencing  with 
the  ancient  ritual  cry,  "Arise,  Lord""  (19).  This  part  of  the 
Psalm  has  come  down  to  us  practically  entire,  and  with 
musical-liturgical  notes.  The  note  higgaion,  scloh  (for  which, 
as  for  the  heading,  see  Introduction),  before  the  yodh  stanza, 
indicates   the   instrumental   and   other  interludes   and   outbursts 

The  eleven  verses  of  Ps.  10  substituted  for  the  original  acrostic  read 
as  follows : 

1.  Why  standest  Thou   far  off,  O  Lord? 
Hidest  Thy  face  in  times  of  adversity? 

2.  In  the  pride  of  the  wicked  he  chaseth  the  wretched. 
Let  them  be  taken  in  the  devices  which  they  planned. 

3.  For  the  wicked  hath  sung  praises  to  his  own  desire, 
And  the  blessing  of  the  robber  is  contempt  of  the  Lord. 

4.  The  wicked  speaketh  in  his  pride :   He  avengeth  not ; 
There  is  no  god,  is  all  his  thought. 

5.  His  paths  ever  prosper, 

Thy  judgments  are  high  above  him, 
He  scoffs  at  all  his  adversaries. 

6.  He  hath  said  in  his  heart,  I  shall  not  be  moved. 
From  age  to  age  no  ill  befall  me. 

7.  Of  cursing  his  mouth  is  full,  deceit  and  fraud, 
Under  his  tongue  mischief  and  malice. 

8.  He  lurketh  on  the  outskirts  of  villages. 

In  hidden  places  he  murders  the  innocent; 
His  eyes  watch  slyly  for  the  hapless, 

9.  He  lurketh  in  his  hiding  place  like  a  lion  in  his  covert, 
He  lurketh  to  catch  the  wretched ; 

He  catcheth  the  wretched,  when  he  draweth  his  net. 

10.  He  boweth  down,  he  is  humble. 

And  the  hapless  fall  by  his  mighty  men. 

11.  He  hath  said  in  his  heart, 

God  hath  hidden  His  face,  He  never  seeth. 


112  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

of  noise  as  we  draw  near  the  sacrifice;  and  after  the  yodh 
stanza,  which  contains  the  curse  and  the  blessing  combined, 
comes  the  call  on  God,  having  accepted  the  sacrifice,  to 
show  himself  in  action,  followed  by  a  final  sclaJi.  Evidently 
this  part  of  the  Psalm  (1-20)  was  arranged  to  be  used  by 
itself,  without  regard  to  the  remaining  half  of  the  acrostic, 
and  apparently  was  so  used.  It  was  this  which  furnished 
the  opportunity  or  occasion  for  the  substitution  at  a  still 
later  time  for  the  greater  part  of  the  second  half  of  the 
acrostic  of  a  Psalm  of  different  form  and  character. 

The  first  half,  Ps.  9,  recounts  and  gives  thanks  for  a 
signal  victory  over  a  foe  who  had  invaded  the  land.  We 
have  a  picture  of  God's  intervention  in  judgment  for  His 
people  from  His  throne  on  high  (v.  1,  7,  8),  as  in  Ps.  7; 
and,  as  in  Ps.  7,  the  wicked  nations  are  represented  as  falling 
into  their  own  snare  (15).  Israel  is  represented  as  the 
wretched,  the  oppressed,  the  poor  and  needy,  the  humble  and 
weak,  after  a  very  ancient  ritual  convention,  which  makes 
itself  felt  also  in  the  prophets  from  Amos  on  (9,  13,  18). 
God  is  the  blood  avenger  for  Israel,  the  next  of  kin,  whose 
part  it  was  to  exact  life  for  the  life  of  his  kinsman  (12).  The 
Psalm  is  simple  and  primitive  in  plan  and  theology.  Note 
among  other  things  the  use  of  Elyon,  Most  High,  in  the  first 
stanza. 

Verses  12-18  of  Psalm  10  are  of  the  same  tone  and  form, 
and  celebrate  the  same  victory,  in  which  invading  nations, 
who  have  greatly  practised  terribleness,  are  expelled  from 
the  land,  and  the  cry  of  suffering  Israel  answered.  They 
constitute  the  original  sacrificial  praise  cry  of  the  Psalm, 
"Arise,  O  Lord,  lift  up  Thy  hand,"  etc.  One  is  tempted  to 
think  of  some  such  occasion  as  the  Assyrian  catastrophe  of 
Hezekiah's  time;  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  hymns  of 
triumph,  and  even  monumental  records  of  battles,  grossly 
exaggerate  victories,  as  witness  the  Egyptian,  Babylonian,  and 
Hittite  inscriptions.  A  drawn  battle  or  a  petty  advantage  may 
be  depicted  as  a  colossal  triumph.  I  have  heard  an  Arab 
tribe  returning  from  an  insignificant  contest  of  doubtful  issue 
sing  songs  which  might  have  celebrated  the  triumphant  close 
of  a  world  war.  We  must  probably  be  content  to  say  that 
this  Psalm  was  a  liturgy  proper  for  use  after  deliverance 
from  hostile  invasion,  and  composed  after  some  such  deliver- 
ance of  early  times. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


113 


The  substituted  verses  (1-11  of  Ps.  10)  are  of  a  directly 
opposite  tone,  a  lamentation  out  of  calamity,  a  plaint  that 
Yahaweh  has  forsaken  His  people,  and  that  the  wicked  are  pros- 
perous, untouched  by  the  judgments  of  a  remote  God,  and  openly 
defiant  toward  God.  The  praise  songs  of  the  wicked  are  sung 
to  his  own  greed  as  his  god,  and  the  robbers'  (the  title  for  the 
robber  conquerors)  blessing  is  blasphemy  (3).  In  language  and 
thought  this  section  shows  borrowing  from  the  original  acros- 
tic, and  especially  from  the  concluding  verses  of  Ps.  10.  The 
text  has  come  down  to  us  in  a  corrupt  and  confused  form, 
and  while  the  general  sense  is  clear  it  must  be  confessed 
that  not  a  few  of  the  details  of  any  translation  of  these 
substituted  verses  is  guesswork.  They  represent  a  condition 
of  national  calamity  and  oppression.  While  Psalm  9,  the 
first  half  of  the  old  acrostic,  is,  in  the  form  in  which  it  has 
come  down  to  us,  a  sacrificial  Psalm  of  thanksgiving  for  de- 
liverance from  invasion,  the  new  second  part,  Ps.  10,  is  not 
a  sacrificial  Psalm,  but  merely  a  lament  in  time  of  national 
oppression,  and  is  only  relieved  from  being  a  song  oi 
despair  by  its  retention  of  the  last  four  stanzas  of  the 
original  acrostic. 


XI 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


N    the    Lord    put    I    my    trust: 
how  say  ye  to  my  soul,  Flee  as 
a   bird    to    your   mountain? 


I 


2  For,  lo,  the  wicked  bend  their 
bow,  they  make  ready  their  arrow 
upon  the  string,  that  they  may 
privily  shoot  at  the  upright  in 
heart. 

3  If  the  foundations  be  destroyed, 
what  can  the  righteous  do? 

4  The  Lord  is  in  his  holy  tem- 
ple, the  Lord's  throne  is  in  heav- 
en :  his  eyes  behold,  his  eyelids 
try,  the  children  of  men. 

5  The  Lord  trieth  the  righteous : 
but  the  wicked  and  him  that 
loveth    violence   his    soul    hateth. 


1.  In  the  Lord  have  I  trusted. 
How    say    ye    to    me : 

"Flee     to     your     hill     like     a 
bird?" 

2.  For,  lo,  the  wicked  tread  the  bow, 
Have   set   their   arrow   to   the 

string. 
To   shoot   in   the   dark   at  the 
upright   of   heart. 

3.  For      they      cast      down      the 

strongholds ; 
The    righteous,    what   hath    he 

done? 
The     Lord     is     in     His 

temple. 
The    Lord,    His    throne    is    in 

heaven. 
His    eyes   observe, 
His    eyelids    try 
The    sons    of    men. 
The  Lord  the  righteous  trieth. 
And  the  wicked  and  lover  of 

violence 
His  soul  hath  abhorred. 


4. 


holy 


114 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


6  Upon  the  wicked  he  shall  rain 
snares,  fire  and  brimstone,  and  a 
horrible  tempest :  this  shall  be 
the   portion   of   their  cup. 

7  For  the  righteous  Lord  loveth 
righteousness ;  his  countenance  doth 
behold  the  upright. 


6.  On    the    wicked    He    raineth 

coals   of    fire; 
Brimstone    and    burning    wind 
The  portion  of  their  cup. 

7.  For    righteous    is    the    Lord, 
Righteousness  He  loveth; 
The  upright  behold   His   face. 


In  the  Lord  Have  I  Trusted 

1.  The  phrase  In  the  Lord  have  I  trusted  may  be  regarded  as 
the  caption  of  this  Psalm.  It  is  one  of  the  old  militant  hymns  of 
Judah.  The  land  invaded,  the  people  must  flee  for  protection  to 
the  great  stronghold  of  the  land,  Zion.  They  are  like  birds  fleeing 
thither  for  refuge;  a  figure  similar  to  which  regarding  Jeru- 
salem is  used  by  Sennacherib,  the  Assyrian  king,  in  his  in- 
scriptions narrating  his  devastation  of  Judah.  Every  ancient 
temple  was  a  stronghold,  but,  owing  to  its  remarkably  strong 
position,  this  was  peculiarly  true  of  Zion.  When  Sennacherib 
overran  and  laid  waste  all  the  land  he  yet  failed  to  capture 
Jerusalem,  and  even  the  capture'  of  Jerusalem  was  almost 
futile  without  the  capture  of  its  dominating  fortress,  Zion. 
Hence  the  inviolability  of  the  Temple,  protected  by  the  pres- 
ence of  Yahaweh,  became  a  doctrine,  as  in  the  prophecies  of 
Isaiah.  Trust  in  Zion,  and  trust  in  Yahaweh  became  almost 
identical.  The  Temple  safe,  the  invader  could  not  hold  the 
land  ;  he  would  ultimately  be  forced  to  retire.  2,  3.  Represent  the 
devastation  of  the  land  of  Judah  by  a  victorious  invader.  Strong 
holds  (3)  is  a  word  not  used  elsewhere,  and  the  meaning  given  is 
somewhat  conjectural.  From  its  apparent  root  connection  it 
would  seem  to  mean  things  established.  The  Judeans  are  the 
righteous  ones,  as  the  right  worshippers  of  Yahaweh,  and  there- 
fore in  the  right  against  their  foes. 

4.  As  in  Ps.  7,  the  Lord  who  dwelleth  in  Zion  has  His 
judgment  throne  in  heaven,  from  which  He  looks  down  not 
only  on  righteous  Judah,  but  on  the  sons  of  men,  i.  e.,  here 
the  outside  world,  when  it  infringes  on  His  holiness.  5,  6. 
From  His  throne  He  trieth  out  men,  punishing  the  wicked 
adversaries,  raining  upon  them  lightning  and  brimstone,  and 
sirocco  winds.  Evidently  verse  6  has  behind  it  the  picture 
of  the  destruction  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  in  the  old  Judean 
story  of  Abraham  and  Lot  (Gen.  19).  The  figure  of  the 
cup  put  to  man's  lips  by  Yahaweh  for  good  or  for  ill,  more 
particularly  the  latter,  is  common  in  Hebrew  literature.     7.  Be- 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


115 


cause  Israel  is  righteous,  he  may  trust  in  his  vindication  and  de- 
liverance by  his  righteous  God.  The  text  of  the  last  clause  leaves 
it  somewhat  uncertain  whether  we  should  read  as  in  the  King 
James  version  or  in  my  translation.  I  think  the  latter  more  prob- 
able. The  Psalm  is  primitive  in  form,  language,  and  thought. 
It  is  vivid,  forceful  and  direct.  It  uses  assonance  effectively, 
varying  the  dominating  final  vowels  from  verse  to  verse 
with  great  effect.  It  is  a  supplication  for  deliverance  in 
military  disaster,  involving  invasion  by  an  enemy.  One  can 
easily  picture  its  singing  in  the  Temple  at  such  a  time. 

How  readily  such  a  hymn  could  become  the  support  and 
consolation  of  an  individual  in  dire  need  is  shown  in  its 
use  by  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  kneeling  at  the  scaffold. 

XII 

To  the  chief  Musician  upon  Sheminith,  A  Psalm  of  David. 

HELP,    Lord;     for    the    godly       1.    Save,  Lord,  for  the  godly  are 
man  ceaseth;  for  the  faithful 
fail    from   among    the    children    of 
men. 

2  They  speak  vanity  every  one 
with  his  neghbour :  ivith  flattering 
lips  and  with  a  double  heart  do 
they  speak. 

3  The  Lord  shall  cut  off  all  flat- 
tering lips,  and  the  tongue  that 
speaketh  proud  things : 

4  Who  have  said.  With  our 
tongue  will  we  prevail ;  our  lips 
are  our  own:  who  is  lord  over 
us? 

5  For  the  oppression  of  the 
poor,  for  the  sighing  of  the  needy, 
now  will  I  arise,  saith  the  Lord; 
I  will  set  him  in  safety  from  him 
that  puffeth  at  him. 

6  The  words  of  the  Lord  are 
pure  words :  as  silver  tried  in 
a  furnace  of  earth,  purified  seven 
times. 

7  Thou  shalt  keep  them,  O  Lord, 
thou  shalt  preserve  them  from 
this    generation    for    ever. 

8  The  wicked  walk  on  every 
side,  when  the  vilest  men  are 
exalted. 


6. 


7. 


8. 


minished, 

The  faithful  blotted  out  be- 
fore   the    sons    of    man. 

Lies  each  speaketh  with  his 
neighbor ; 

With  slippery  lip  and  double 
heart   they   speak. 

The    Lord    shall    cut    off    the 

slippery     lips. 
The     tongue     that     speaketh 

great   words ; 
Who     have      said.      By     our 

tongues  we  will   prevail, 
Our    lips    are    with    us,    who 

is    lord    over    us? 

For      the      spoiling      of      the 

wretched. 
For  the  sighing  of  the  needy, 
Now   I   arise   saith   the   Lord; 
I    set    them    in    safety 
From     him     who     puffeth     at 

them. 

The    words    of    the    Lord    are 

pure    words. 
Silver  tried   in  the   furnace. 
Gold    purified    seven    fold. 

Thou,  Lord,  doth  keep  us. 
Doth     guard     us     ever     from 

this    age. 
Round  about  the  wicked  walk; 
From     on     high     hast     Thou 

scorned    the    sons    of    man. 


116  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Save,  Lord 

Like  the  preceding  this  is  a  siege  song,  a  liturgy  for  a 
time  when  the  land  is  overrun,  and  Judah  shut  up  in  Jeru- 
salem and  the  Temple.  1,  2.  The  godly  (hasid)  was  the 
Hebrew  as  over  against  the  alien,  who  did  not  worship  Yaha- 
weh.  It  is  a  special  word  of  the  Psalter.  In  later  Psalms  it 
comes  to  mean  the  pious  Jews  in  contrast  with  those  not 
punctual  in  the  performance  of  their  pious  duties,  and  ulti- 
mately it  becomes  the  designation  of  the  sect  of  Hasideans, 
precisely  as  Catholic  has  become  a  sect  or  party  name  in  the 
Anglican  Church.  Here  we  have  it  in  its  original  sense,  and 
as  its  synonym  in  the  second  half  of  the  verse  the  faithful, 
from  the  same  root  as  our  familiar  amen,  the  so  be  its.  In 
contrast  with  the  Hebrew,  the  child  of  Yahaweh,  the  foreigners 
are  sons  of  man.  These,  the  alien  foe,  have  overrun  and  dev- 
astated the  land,  and  shut  the  king  up  in  Jerusalem.  In 
contrast  with  the  faithful,  the  foes  are  liars,  and  treacherous. 
Similarly  the  Persian  Gathas;  so  Yasna  LI  9,  10,  is  a  prayer 
to  Ahura  Mazda  that  the  saint  or  believer  may  smite  the 
unbeliever,  who  seeks  to  destroy  his  life,  "for  he  is  the 
lie's  creation,  and  belongs  to  the  miscreants."  This  stanza  is 
the  appeal  for  deliverance,  or  victory,  of  Jerusalem  and  its 
king,  in  straits  because  of  the  invasion  of  such  foes.  3,  4.  The 
assurance  of  or  the  confident  appeal  for  God's  intervention 
against  this  foe,  who  is  described  further  as  speaking  great 
words,  and  trusting  to  conquer  with  his  tongue.  It  fits  in 
most  remarkably  with  the  story  of  2  Kings  18^'"^^,  19  (Is.  36, 
37),  and  brings  before  the  mind  most  vividly  the  boasting 
of  the  Assyrian  Rabshakeh  before  Jerusalem  and  his  attempt 
to  conquer  the  city  with  words,  followed  by  the  threatening 
and  boastful  letter  from  King  Sennacherib.  This  Psalm 
might  be  said  to  represent  the  spirit  of  Hezekiah's  appeal  to 
Yahaweh  against  that  letter  in  His  Temple,  and  Isaiah's  con- 
fident promise  of  Yahaweh's  intervention  for  the  deliverance 
of  His  people.  At  least  those  chapters  are  an  admirable 
commentary  on  the  occasion,  purpose  and  meaning  of  this 
and  similar  liturgies,  which  belong  to  the  old  militant  days 
of  Jerusalem,  its  Temple  and  its  kings.  5.  The  promise  put 
in  Yahaweh's  own  mouth  of  His  intervention  for  the  rescue 
of  H'£  spoiled  and  afflicted  people,  called,  as  in  Ps.  9,  10, 
the    wretched,    poor,    etc.,    from    the    foes    who    puff    at    them 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


117 


with  threats  of  utter  destruction,  Hke  Sennacherib.  6.  This 
verse  is  an  assurance  in  beautiful  imagery  of  the  purity  of 
the  words  of  Yahaweh,  that  there  is  no  falsehood  in  them; 
His  promises  are  absolutely  reliable,  pure  gold.  7,  8.  The 
song  of  the  people,  sure  of  deliverance,  as  the  result  of  their 
sacramental  appeal,  addressing  Yahaweh  as  their  deliverer 
from  the  men  of  this  age,  or  generation;  a  regular  name  in 
the  Psalter  first  for  the  alien  foe,  then  for  any  enemy  of 
the  Psalmist,  who  is  of  course  an  enemy  of  God.  In  the 
closing  verse  we  have  the  picture  of  the  enemy  surrounding 
Jerusalem,  and  Yahaweh,  high  above  them,  in  His  Temple  and 
His  throne  on  high,  scorning  them.  The  language  of  the  Psalm 
is  in  places  difficult  from  the  use  of  archaic,  unique  or  unusual 
words  and  constructions,  and  because  of  a  slight  corruption  of 
the  Hebrew  text ;  but  by  the  help  of  the  ancient  translations  the 
entire  Psalm  can,  I  think,  be  correctly  translated. 


XIII 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


HOW  long  wilt  thou  forget  me, 
O  Lord?  for  ever?  how  long 
wilt  thou  hide  thy  face  from 
me? 

2  How  long  shall  I  take  coun- 
sel in  my  sonl,  having  sorrow  in 
my  heart  daily?  how  long  shall 
mine   enemy   be  exalted  over   me? 

3  Consider  and  hear  me,  O 
Lord  my  God :  lighten  mine  eyes, 
lest  I   sleep  the  sleep   of  death ; 

4  Lest  mine  enemy  say,  I  have 
prevailed  against  him ;  and  those 
that  trouble  me  rejoice  when  I 
am    moved. 

5  But  I  have  trusted  in  thy 
mercy;  my  heart  shall  rejoice  in 
thy  salvation. 

6  I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord, 
because  he  hath  dealt  bountifully 
with   me. 


1.  How   long,    Lord — ^Wilt   Thou 

forget  me   for  ever? 
How    long? — Wilt    Thou    hide 
Thy  face   from  me? 

2.  How  long? — Shall  I  bear  sor- 

row in   my   soul,   trouble   in 
my  heart  each  day? 
How  long? — Shall  mine  enemy 
exalt  himself  against  me? 

3.  Behold,  answer  me.  Lord,  my 

God; 
Lighten     mine     eyes     lest     I 
sleep   in   death ; 

4.  Lest  mine  enemy  say :  I  over- 

came   him ; 
My   foes   exult  because   I   am 
cast    down. 

5.  And  I — in  Thy  mercy  have  I 

trusted ; 
My   heart    exults    in    Thy    de- 
liverance. 

6.  Let    me    sing    to    the    Lord, 
For   He  cared   for   me. 


How  Long? 

1.    How   long   was    in   Hebrew   as    in   Babylonian    psalmody 
a  liturgical  phrase  to  be  used  in  petitions   from  distress,  and 


118 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


also  the  name  applied  to  Psalms  containing  such  petitions 
(cf.  74®).  In  liturgical  use  such  how  longs  may  constitute 
a  sort  of  mass  for  the  recovery  of  the  sick  (see  also  6^). 
1-2.  The  first  stanza  is  a  four  fold  how  long  for  and  in  the 
name  of  the  afflicted  person,  whose  aflfiliction  appears  to  con- 
stitute a  national  calamity,  suggesting  therefore  a  ruler,  in 
which  the  enemy  find  advantage.  3-4.  This  second  stanza  is 
the  direct  petition  for  his  restoration  to  health,  lest  his  death 
should  be  a  triumph  for  the  foes.  5-6.  This  stanza  represents 
the  absolution.  The  deliverance  consequent  on  his  faith,  and 
thanksgiving  for  deliverance,  with  a  gloria  in  excelsis,  assumes 
the  offering  or  the  vow  of  a  proper  sacrifice,  as  the  result  of 
which   the    favorable   answer   of    Yahaweh    is   anticipated. 


XIV 

To  the  chief  Musiciaa,  A  Psalm  of  David. 

THE  fool  hath  said  in  his  heart,  There  is  no  God.     They  are  corrupt, 
they  have  done  abominable  works,  there  is  none  that  doeth  good. 

2  The  Lord  looked  down  from  heaven  upon  the  children  of  men,  to  see 
if  there  were  any  that  did  understand,  and  seek  God. 

3  They  are  all  gone  aside,  they  are  all  together  become  filthy:  there  is 
none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not  one. 

4  Have  all  the  workers  of  iniquity  no  knowledge?  who  eat  up  my  people 
as  they  eat  bread,  and  call  not  upon  the  Lord. 

5  There  were  they  in  great  fear;  for  God  is  in  the  generation  of  the 
righteous.  ;.c>  j 

6  Ye  have  shamed  the  counsel  of  the  poor,  because  the  Lord  is  his  refuge. 

7  Oh  that  the  salvation  of  Israel  were  come  out  of  Zion !  when  the  Lord 
bringeth  back  the  captivity  of  his  people,  Jacob  shall  rejoice,  and  Israel 
shall  be  glad. 

LI  II 

To  the   chief  Musician   upon   Mahr.lath,   Maschil,   A   Psalm  of   Davil. 


THE  fool  hath  said  in  his  heart, 
There   is   no    God. 
Corrupt  are  they,  and  have  done 
abominable  iniquity :   there  is  none 
that   doeth  good. 

2  God  looked  down  from  heaven 
upon  the  children  of  men,  to  see 
if  there  were  any  that  did  under- 
stand,  that  did   seek   God. 

3  Every  one  of  them  is  gone 
back :  they  are  altogether  become 
filthy;  there  is  none  that  doeth 
good,   no,   not   one. 


XIV,  LIII 

1.  The    brutish    man    hath    said 

in    his    heart,    There    is    no 

GOD. 

They    have    laid    waste,    and 

wrought    frightfulness, 
There  is  none  that  doeth  good. 

2.  GoD  from  heaven  looked  down 

on   the   sons   of   man. 
To  see  if  there  were  any  wor- 
shipping, seeking  God. 

3.  They  are  all  perverted,  utterly 

corrupt; 
There  is  none  that  doeth  good, 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


119 


4  Have  the  workers  of  iniquity 
no  knowledge?  who  eat  up  my 
people  as  they  eat  bread :  they 
have   not  called  upon  God. 

5  There  were  they  in  great  fear, 
tvhcrc  no  fear  was,  for  God  hath 
scattered  the  bones  of  him  that 
encampeth  against  thee :  thou  hast 
put  them  to  shame,  because  God 
hath   despised   them. 

6  Oh  that  the  salvation  of  Israel 
Tvere  come  out  of  Zion  I  When 
God  bringeth  back  the  captivity 
of  his  people,  Jacob  shall  rejoice, 
and    Israel    shall   be   glad. 


There  is  not  even  one. 

4.  Have    they    no    sense? 

Idol  worshippers,  eaters  of 
my    people. 

They  have  feasted,  God  in- 
voked not. 

5.  There    feared    they    a    Fear 
Which    was    no    Fear. 

For    God    hath    scattered    the 

bones   of   their  besieger. 
Thou  hast  put  them  to  shame. 
For   God  hath    rejected   them. 

6.  Oh  that  from  Zion  may  come 

deliverance  for  Israel  I 
When    God    turneth    the    cap- 
tivity   of    His    people, 
Let    Jacob    exult,     let    Israel 
be  glad. 


There  Is  A^o  God 

These  two  Psalms  are  variants  of  one  Psalm,  the  original 
being  best  preserved  in  our  present  LIII.  It  was  a  siege  Psalm, 
similar  in  character  and  purpose  to  the  preceding,  but  appar- 
ently primarily  composed  for  use  in  an  Israelite  not  a  Judean 
shrine. 

1.  Invaders  have  overrun  and  laid  waste  the  land  and 
wrought  {rightfulness  in  it.  They  are  worshippers  of  other 
gods,  fools,  i.  e.,  senseless  or  brutish  people,  who  deny  and 
defy  the  God  of  Israel,  and  do  not  do  what  is  good  in  His 
sight.  The  first  line  of  this  stanza  constitutes  the  caption  of 
the  Psalm.  2.  God  looks  down  from  His  abode,  which  is 
the  heavens,  upon  the  sons  of  man,  i.  e.,  these  alien  invaders, 
to  see  if  there  are  any  worshippers  according  to  His  rites. 
One  is  reminded  of  the  inspection  of  Sodom,  in  search  for 
righteous  men  (Gen.  18).  The  word  maskil,  rendered  in  our 
English  translations  understand  or  deal  wisely,  is  a  terminus 
technicus,  as  in  Am.  5 ",  for  the  sacrificial  liturgies  which 
were  used  in  seeking  after  God,  i.  e.,  inquiring  of  God's  will. 
(See  under  maskil  in  Introduction.)  3.  He  finds  them  all 
aliens  to  the  true  religion;  altogether  corrupt  in  their  wor- 
ship, a  corruption  which  involved,  as  we  learn  from  the 
prophets,  immoral  and  abhorrent  practises.  This  stanza  ends 
with   the   refrain  of   stanza   1    intensified.     4.     This   verse  ex- 


120  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

plains  what  is  meant  by  their  lack  of  knowledge  of  God,  the 
folly  or  brutishness  of  their  denial  of  Him.  They  are  de- 
votees of  a  false  and  idolatrous  worship,  the  meaning  of  the 
phrase  rendered  in  our  English  translations  workers  of  iniquity. 
In  this  sense  Hosea,  the  Israelite  prophet,  uses  the  phrase 
repeatedly,  and  we  find  the  same  use  in  1  Sam.  15^^.  These 
idolaters,  who  are  devouring  God's  people,  do  not  even  have 
the  knowledge  to  invoke  at  their  feasts  Him  who  is  God  of 
the  land.  5.  An  old  Israelitic  term  for  the  God  of  Israel, 
found  in  the  Elohistic  (E)  story  of  the  patriarchs,  Fear,  as 
the  "Fear  of  Isaac"  (Gen.  31  *-),  is  used  and  played  upon 
here.  They  have  feared,  i.  e.,  worshipped  a  Fear  which  was 
no  Fear,  i.  e.,  no  real  god,  and  God  whom  they  did  not 
fear  has  scattered  the  bones  of  the  besiegers  of  Israel's 
stronghold.  This  expresses  a  destruction  which,  involving  lack 
of  burial  and  annihilation  of  individuality,  takes  away  even 
the  glimmer  of  hope  of  existence  in  the  grave,  and  is  meant 
to  express  the  terribleness  of  the  disaster  which  by  the 
help  of  God  Israel  shall  inflict  upon  his  enemy.  The  last 
clause  of  this  stanza  is  God's  answer  to  their  petition,  that 
they  shall  defeat  the  invader,  because  God  has  rejected  him. 

6.  So  far  the  original  Psalm,  a  liturgy  of  militant  Israel 
on  occasion  of  a  hostile  invasion,  which  we  might  well  fancy 
used  for  or  after  the  expulsion  of  Syrian  invaders.  After 
the  capture  of  Samaria,  in  721  B.  C,  and  the  deportation  of 
the  Israelites  by  the  Assyrians,  not  a  few  of  the  spiritual 
leaders  found  a  refuge  in  Judah,  just  as  after  the  fall  of 
Constantinople  in  1453  A.  D.  the  thinkers  and  scholars  of 
the  East  found  refuge  in  the  West.  These  brought  sacred 
writings  with  them,  which  were  adopted  and  adapted  in  the 
time  of  Hezekiah  and  Isaiah.'-  Out  of  Israelite  liturgies 
thus  brought  in  was  composed  the  collection  of  Psalms  known 
as  The  Prayers  of  David  (51-72,  see  Introduction),  in  which 
was  included  this  Psalm,  with  a  most  pathetic  ending,  showing 
the  changed  conditions.  Deliverance  must  now  come  from 
Zion;  but  the  faith  still  prevails  that,  through  the  power  of 
the  God  that  dwells  in  Zion,  Jacob  and  Israel,  a  combination 
common  in  the  hymns  of  Israelite  origin,  shall  be  brought 
back  from  the  captivity  into  which  the  Assyrians  have  carried 
them.      It    is    worthy    of    note    that    this    expectation    of    the 


1  See  Peters,    Religion  of  the  Hebrews. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


121 


restoration  of  Israel  to  Judah  influences  also  the  prophets 
Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel. 

This  Psalm  is  included  in  the  little  collection  of  the  maskils  in 
the  Prayers  of  David,  perhaps  because  of  the  use  of  that  term 
in  V.  3.  It  was  also  adapted  and  adopted  into  the  Judean 
Psalm  book  (3-41)  and  placed  with  the  Hturgies  for  similar 
occasions,  of  which  it  forms  the  close,  in  its  present  position 
as  Psalm  14.  For  this  purpose  it  was  somewhat  changed. 
In  the  heading  it  does  not  have  the  instrumental  designation, 
nor  the  liturgical  designation  maskil,  which  was  more  spe- 
cifically Israelite.  Yahaweh  has  been  substituted  for  Elohim 
in  vv.  2,  4,  6,  7.  In  v.  5  the  reference  to  the  Fear  of  Isaac 
has  been  misunderstood,  and  the  last  clause  omitted.  (This 
may,  however,  be  a  later  change,  as  we  have  that  clause  in 
the  Greek  translation.)  The  further  changes  in  vv.  5,  6, 
which  have  made  6,  if  translatable  at  all,  quite  self-contra- 
dictory, were  due  primarily  to  accidental  text  corruption,  fol- 
lowed by  a  substitution  for  the  resulting  unintelligible  forms 
of  familiar  Psalm  words,  words  of  sufficiently  similar  appear- 
ance, such  as  righteous  and  poor,  which  are  thus  brought, 
however,  into  unusual  combinations. 

The  first  three  verses  of  this  Psalm  are  quoted  in  the  Epistle 
to  the  Romans  (3""^®),  but  to  these  are  added  Ps.  5^ 
140  ^  10  ^  Is.  59^'^  .Ps.  36  S  as  though  the  whole  were 
one  consecutive  passage  of  Scripture,  a  new  Psalm  compo- 
sition. This  is  a  good  example  of  the  method  of  use  of 
Scripture,  especially  the  Psalms,  by  the  Pharisaic  schoolmen, 
and  of  the  very  great  importance  of  the  Psalms  in  the  teaching 
of  those  schools. 

XV 

A  Psalm   of  David. 


LORD,    who    shall    abide   in   thy 
tabernacle?    who    shall    dwell 
in  thy  holy  hill? 

2  He  that  walketh  uprightly,  and 
worketh  righteousness,  and  speak- 
eth    the    truth    in    his    heart. 

3  He  that  backbiteth  not  with 
his  tongue,  nor  doeth  evil  to  his 
neighbour,  nor  taketh  up  a  reproach 
against  his  neighbour. 


1.  Lord,  who  sojourneth  in  Thy 

house? 
Who    dwelleth    on    Thy    holy 
mount? 

2.  Who    walketh    blameless,    and 

doeth   right, 
And     speaketh     truth     in     his 
heart; 

3.  He    hath    not     slandered    his 

neighbor, 
Nor   done   evil   to   his    friend, 
Nor    put    reproach    upon    his 

kin. 


122 


THE  PSALMS  A  LITURGIES 


4  In  whose  eyes  a  vile  person 
is  contemned;  but  he  honoureth 
them  that  fear  the  Lord.  He  that 
sweareth  to  his  own  hurt,  and 
changeth   not. 

5  He  that  putteth  not  out  his 
money  to  usury,  nor  taketh  reward 
against  the  innocent.  He  that 
doeth  these  things  shall  never  be 
moved. 


5. 


Loathsome    in    his    sight    the 

infidel, 
But   them  that   fear  the  Lord 

he   honoreth ; 
He  hath   sworn  to   his   friend 

and    f aileth    not ; 

His  money  he  hath  not  given 

on  usury. 
Nor  taken  reward  against  the 

guiltless 
Who  dealeth  thus  shall  never 

be   shaken. 


A  Temple  Decalogue 

This  hymn  sings  the  virtues  of  those  that  worship  in  the 
Temple  of  Yahaweh,  and  especially  of  the  priests  who  dwell 
there.  It  is  cast,  after  old  Hebrew  practice,  in  the  form 
of  a  decalogue,  divided  into  two  pentads,  introduced  by  a 
question  (1),  which  states  the  meaning  and  purpose  of  the 
composition,  and  is  concluded  by  the  promise  of  stability  or 
inviolability,  if  the  Temple  standard  of  worship  and  life  be 
maintained  (5'').  Poetically  it  is  well  organized;  linguistically 
it  is  at  places  difficult  because  of  its  antiquity,  which  has 
caused  some  slight  trouble  with  the  text.  The  verse  division 
of  the  received  Hebrew  text  obscures  the  original  metrical 
division  of  this  hymn. 

1.  Thy  house,  literally  tent;  but  the  word  early  came  to 
mean  any  place  of  abode.  Thy  holy  hill,  perhaps  more  ac- 
curately hill  of  Thy  shrine.  2.  Walketh  blameless  and  doeth 
right  express  the  ritual  obligations,  and  may  be  said  to  set 
forth  the  duty  toward  God  in  this  pentad,  namely  to  worship 
correctly,  observing  the  rules  of  ritual  cleanliness  and  sac- 
rificing right  offerings  rightly.  3.  This  is  the  duty  toward 
the  neighbor,  in  the  literal  sense.  It  constitutes  an  ascending 
scale  from  the  one  dwelling  next,  through  the  friend,  to  the 
kinsman.  In  the  first  number  of  this  triad  I  have  ventured, 
after  Briggs  and  others,  to  amend  the  word  tongue  conjectural- 
ly  to  neighbor,  a  very  slight  change  in  the  Hebrew,  because 
of  the  apparent  requirements  of  both  the  grammar  and  the 
sense.  Perhaps  the  word  rendered  slandered  should  be  spied 
upon.  It  is  used  in  both  senses.  Put  reproach,  or  brought 
reproach;  it  would  bear  either  interpretation.  4  ^  The  second 
pentad,  corresponding  to  the  first,  commences  with  two  lines  of 
duty   toward   God:   to   loathe   those   who   are   unacceptable   to 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


123 


God,  the  faithless  or  infidel;  literally  the  one  rejected  by 
God,  because  his  worship  or  his  life  is  not  acceptable  to  Him. 
On  the  other  hand  the  true  servant  of  Yahaweh  holds  in 
honor  all  who  truly  worship  Him;  which  true  worship  is 
expressed  by  the  old  term  fear.  4  ^,  5  *.  As  in  the  first  pentad 
the  duty  toward  one's  neighbor  is  in  three  clauses,  expressing 
fair  and  kindly  dealing;  the  first  pentad,  more  particularly 
in  word,  the  latter  in  deed.  The  incorrect  pointing  or  vocaliza- 
tion of  the  Hebrew  text  has  been  corrected  from  the  Greek  in 
the  first  clause;  not  sweareth  to  his  hurt,  but  to  his  friend.  As 
in  the  first  pentad,  the  duty  toward  God  is  in  the  present,  the  duty 
toward  the  neighbor  in  the  praeterite,  for  distinction  and 
literary  effect.  The  prohibition  of  loaning  on  interest  to  a 
fellow  Jew  (cf.  Ex.  22  -^  Deut.  23  ^°)  was  a  part  of  the 
immemorial  obligation  of  family  kindness,  by  which  Jew  \yas 
bound  to  Jew.  The  last  clause  of  this  pentad  is  also  common 
in  early  Jewish  legislation   (cf.  Ex.  23  *,  Deut.  27"). 

This  is  the  fullest  statement  of  the  virtues  which  constituted 
the  obligations  of  holiness  of  the  Temple  worshippers  which 
we  possess.  More  fragmentary  statements  of  the  same  char- 
acter are  contained  in  Ps.  2A^\  Is.  ZZ''''-^\  Zech.  8"-"). 
Evidently  it  was  an  ancient  and  well  understood  code  which 
has  here  been  made  into  a  hymn. 

XVI 

Michtam  of  David. 


PRESERVE    me,    O    God:    for 
in  thee  do   I   put  my  trust. 

2  0  my  soul,  thou  hast  said 
unto  the  Lord,  Thou  art  my  Lord : 
my  goodness  extendeth  not  to 
thee; 

3  But  to  the  saints  that  are  in 
the  earth,  and  to  the  excellent,  in 
whom  is  all   my  delight. 

4  Their  sorrows  shall  be  multi- 
plied that  hasten  after  another 
god :  their  drink  offerings  of  blood 
will  I  not  offer,  nor  take  up 
their  names   into   m_y  lips. 


\.    Preserve     me,     God,     for     in 
Thee  have  I  sought  refuge. 

2.  I   said  to   the  Lord,  My  Lord 

art  Thou, 
My    good     depends    on    none 
but  Thee. 

3.  To   the  holy  who   are  in   His 

land, 
To  them  He  showeth  all  His 
wondrous  kindness. 

4.  Multiplied     are     their     vexa- 

tions,   backward    have    they 

hasted. 
I    pour    not    out    their    drink 

offerings   of  blood, 
Their    names    I    take    not    on 

my  lips. 


124 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


5  The  Lord  is  the  portion  of 
mine  inheritance  and  of  my  cup : 
thou  maintainest  my  lot. 

6  The  lines  are  fallen  unto  me 
in  pleasant  places;  yea,  I  have 
a  goodly  heritage. 

7  I  will  bless  the  Lord,  who 
hath  given  me  counsel :  my  reins 
also  instruct  me  in  the  night  sea- 
sons. 

8  I  have  set  the  Lord  always 
before  me :  because  he  is  at  my 
right  hand,   I   shall  not  be  moved. 

9  Therefore  my  heart  is  glad, 
and  my  glory  rejoiceth:  my  flesh 
also  shall  rest  in  hope. 

10  For  thou  wilt  not  leave  my 
soul  in  hell ;  neither  wilt  thou 
suffer  thine  Holy  One  to  see  cor- 
ruption. 

11  Thou  wilt  shew  me  the  path 
of  life:  in  thy  presence  is  ful- 
ness of  joy;  at  thy  right  hand 
there  are  pleasures    for  evermore. 


5.  The   Lord   is   my   part   in   the 

land    and    my    cup. 
Thou  graspest  and  castest  my 
lot; 

6.  My  portion  is  fallen  in  pleas- 

ant places, 
Goodly  is  my  heritage. 

7.  I    bless    the    Lord,    who    hath 

proved    me ; 
In    the    night    also    my    reing 
chasten  me. 

8.  I  set  the  LORD  ever  before  moi. 
If  He  be  on  my  right,  I  shall 

not  be   shaken. 

9.  Therefore    my   heart    rejoiced, 

and    my    liver    was    glad. 
My  flesh  also  abideth  secure ; 

10.  For    thou     forsakest    me    not 

unto  hell, 
Thou    lettest    not    Thy    pious 
see    the    pit. 

11.  Thou    makest    me    know    the 

way    of    life, 
Abundant     gladness     in     Thy 

presence, 
Pleasures    at   Thy    right   hand 

forever. 


Deliverance  From  Sickness 

This  is  the  only  miktani,  or  atonement  Psahn,  so  designated 
by  its  heading,  in  the  first  book.  The  Prayers  of  David  (51-72) 
contain  a  collection  of  five  such  liturgies    (56-60). 

1.  The  first  verse,  w^hich  is  a  half  verse,  constitutes  the 
caption  of  the  Psalm,  for  preservation  in  sickness.  The 
word  here  used  for  God  is  the  primitive  general  w^ord,  EL 
2,  3.  The  suppliant  recognize':;  no  lord  but  Yahaweh,  no 
good  comes  to  him  from  any  other;  and  He  it  is  v^ho  shows 
wondrous  kindness  to  those  who  are  holy  unto  Him.  Holiness 
was  the  peculiarity  or  individuality  of  a  god  which  distin- 
guished him  from  all  other  gods.  Every  god  had  his  holiness, 
but  the  term  was  especially  emphasized  in  the  Jerusalem  cult, 
and  became,  with  ultimately  lofty  ethical  content,  the  shibbo- 
leth of  that  shrine.  To  be  holy  to  Yahaweh  was  to  know 
and  comply  with  such  a  code  as  is  set  forth  in  Psalm 
15,  and  such  are  the  holy,  and  the  pious  mentioned  in  this 
Psalm.       4.     Contrasted    with    these    are    the    worshippers    of 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  125 

false   gods,    who    are    vexed    with    all    sorts    of    troubles,    and 
hasten   on   the  backward   road   to   destruction.     To   such   gods 
the  suppliant  has   never  poured   out   drink   offerings   of   blood 
(cf .  Is.   57  ^ ",  65  ",  66  ^   for  representations  of   such  worship 
at  a  later  date),  nor  taken  their  names  on  his  lips,  i.  e.,  invoked 
or    worshipped    them.      5.     It    is    Yahaweh    from    whom    the 
suppliant,  apparently  the  king  of  Judah,  has  received  his  land, 
and   by   whom    he    is    nourished,    common   phrases    and    ideas. 
Cf.   the   division  of   the   land  of   Israel  by   lot    (Num.   26"). 
One  thinks  also  of  the  peculiar  relation  to  Yahaweh  in  that 
allotment   of    Levi    (Num.    18  ^o,   Deut.    18,  i--).      Yahaweh   is 
the  one  who  grasps  and  casts    (in  Hebrew  one  word)   the  lot 
of    the    Hebrews    among    the    nations,    and    by    whose    action 
they  have   received  so  goodly  an  inheritance.     For  a  Hebrew 
estimate    of    the    goodliness    of    that    heritage    see    Deut.    8'*^. 
The  lot  was  intimately  connected  with  all  ancient  and  primi- 
tive religions,  it  must  be  remembered,  and  among  the  Hebrews 
it  played  an  important  part.     It  was  the   special   function  of 
the    High    Priest    to    draw    or    cast    the    lot    before    God    for 
Israel.     Here  Yahaweh   is   represented   as   thus   officiating   for 
His  people  in  the  great  council  of   the  gods,  as   it  were.     A 
proverbial    saying   in    Palestine   to   this    day    is:      "May   Allah 
uphold  my  lot."     This  conception  of  choice  by  lot  before  God 
as  the   correct   religious   method   of   decision  passed   over   also 
into  Christianity  (cf.  Acts  1  ^^'"^).     7,  8.     Yahaweh  has  proved 
the    suppliant   with    sickness,   a   conception    of    sickness    which 
appears   frequently   in  Hebrew   writings    (cf.   for  instance   the 
book  of  Job).     It  is  this  sickness  which  is  painted  in  simple 
physical  language  in  the  following  line;  his  reins,  i.e.,  kidneys, 
chasten  him  by  night.     His   trust  in  Yahaweh   is   depicted  in 
militant  language  as  victory  won  against  foes  because  Yahaweh 
fought  at  his  right.     By  the  same  divine   interference  of   his 
god  fighting  by  his  side  Ramses  represents  himself  as  defeating 
the   Hittites.     9-11.     This   stanza   is   the   thanksgiving   for   the 
deliverance  from  sickness.     The  heart  and  liver,  the  seats  of 
life  (in  Hebrew  the  consonants  of  the  words  for  liver  and  honor 
are    identical,    hence    the    confusion    in    the    translations),  i.e., 
his  whole  body  (flesh),  rejoice  in  the  security  of  restored  health. 
Hell   (sheol)   and  the  pit  are  synonymous  terms  for  the  place 
of   departed   spirits  beneath  the   earth    (cf.   Is.   38").      Later, 
from   Ezekiel    onward,    the   pit   became   the    designation    of    a 
special   nethermost  portion  of   the  nether  world,   a   distinction 


126 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


which  passed  over  into  Christian  thought.  These  verses  have 
been  supposed  by  some  to  contain  some  hope  of  or  beHef  in 
immortaHty.  The  Hebrews,  Hke  all  primitive  peoples,  believed 
in  a  continuance  of  existence  after  death,  but  that  existence 
was  a  bloodless,  joyless  thing,  in  darkness  and  dust,  such 
as  is  depicted  in  Homer's  Odyssey,  in  the  Babylonian  poem 
of  the  Descent  of  Ishtar,  or  in  the  picture  of  Sheol  in  Is. 
14  ® ".  Moreover,  even  such  continuance  of  existence  was 
not  for  the  "beasts  of  the  people,"  but  only  for  the  rulers, 
depending  on  entombment  and  preservation  of  the  body.  (See 
scattering  of  the  bones  in  Ps.  14.)  What  we  should  term 
belief  in  immortality  developed  later,  and  was  connected 
with  the  belief  in  a  resurrection  out  of   Sheol    (cf.   Ps.    1). 

That  this  was  a  liturgy  for  a  royal  suppliant  is  shown  by 
the  concluding  lines,  which  represent  him  as  not  only  en- 
joying the  presence  of  God,  but  as  seated  at  His  right  hand 
in  Zion.  It  reminds  one  in  its  general  character  of  Is.  38, 
because  it  was  a  liturgy  to  be  used  in  connection  with  the 
sacrifices  at  the  restoration  to  health  of  a  sick  king.  The 
text  is  generally  well  preserved,  the  Hebrew,  however,  re- 
quiring in  a  few  places  correction  from  the  Greek  translation, 
Vv.  8-11  are  cited  in  Acts  2  "-28. 

XVII 

A  Prayer  of   David. 


HEAR    the    right,    O    Lord,    at 
tend    unto    my    cry;    give    ear^ 
unto    my    prayer,    that    goeth    not 
out   of    feigned   lips. 

2  Let  my  sentence  come  forth 
from  thy  presence ;  let  thine  eyes 
behold  the  things  that  are  equal. 

3  Thou  hast  proved  mine  heart; 
thou  hast  visited  me  in  the  night; 
thou  hast  tried  me,  and  shalt  find 
nothing:  I  am  purposed  that  my 
mouth  shall  not  transgress. 

4  Concerning  the  works  of  men, 
by  the  word  of  thy  lips  I  have 
kept  me  from  the  paths  of  the 
destroyer. 

5  Hold  up  my  goings  in  thy 
paths,    that   my   footsteps   slip   not. 


1.  Hear,  O  Lord,  of  my  right; 
Regard    my   cry,    give    ear    to 

my   prayer. 
By  lips  unfeigned. 

2.  Let    my    judgment    go     forth 

from   Thy  presence ; 
Thine  eyes  behold   equity. 

3.  Thou  hast  proved  my  heart. 
Thou  hast  tried  my   reins, 
Thou    hast    purged    me    with 

fire. 
Thou    findest    no    harlotry    in 
me. 

4.  My   mouth   speaketh   not   unto 

the    works    of    man. 
By    the    word    of    Thy    lips    I 
have     kept     the     paths     of 
right. 

5.  My  steps   firmly  in   Thy   ruts, 
My    feet    slip    not. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


127 


6.  I    have    called    Thee, 
For  Thou  answerest  me,  God. 
Incline    Thine    ear   to    me, 
Hear    my    word. 

7.  Show    Thy    wonderful    loving 
kindness, 

Saving  by  Thy  right  hand 
them  that  trust  from  their 
assailants. 

8.  Guard     me     like     the     pupil, 
daughter  of  the  eye, 

Hide  me  in  the  shadow  of 
Thy    wings 

9.  From  the   face  of  the  wicked 
that  have  spoiled  me. 

My  mortal  enemies  that  gird 
me    round. 

10.  Their    heart    they    have    shut 
up. 

Their  mouths  have  boasted 
proudly. 

11.  Driving     me     out,     now     they 
have   surrounded   me, 

Their  eyes  are  set  to  possess 
the    land. 

12.  He  is  like  the  lion  greedy  for 
his   prey. 

And  like  the  young  lion  lurk- 
ing in  hiding. 

13.  Rise,  Lord,  confront  him,  pull 
him    to    the    ground. 

Rescue  me  by  Thy  sword 
from  the  wicked. 

14.  Slay  them  by  Thy  hand.  Lord  ; 
slaying   them. 

Apportioning  them  their  por- 
tion  with   the  beasts. 

Fill  their  bellies  with  Thy 
blast. 

Till  their  sons  be  sated  and 
theirbabes  eat  their  remnant. 

15.  In  righteousness  I  behold  Thy 
face. 

Am  filled  with  the  vision  of 
Thy   glory. 

Prayer  in  Time  of  Siege 

In  the  heading  this  Psalm  is  called  a  prayer.  It  was  evi- 
dently a  liturgy  used  in  time  of  siege.  The  text  is  difficult, 
owing  to  the  antique  and  unusual  forms  and  phrases,  which 
have  resulted  in  some  corruptions. 


6  I  have  called  upon  thee,  for 
thou  wilt  hear  me,  O  God :  in- 
cline thine  ear  unto  me,  and 
hear    my    speech. 

7  Shew  thy  marvellous  loving- 
kindness,  O  thou  that  sayest  by 
thy  right  hand  them  which  put 
their  trust  in  thee  from  those 
that    rise    up    against    them. 

8  Keep  me  as  the  apple  of  the 
eye ;  hide  me  under  the  shadow 
of   thy  wings, 

9  From  the  wicked  that  oppress 
me,  from  my  deadly  enemies,  who 
compass   me   about. 

10  They  are  inclosed  in  their 
own  fat :  with  their  mouth  they 
speak  proudly. 

11  They  have  now  compassed 
us  in  our  steps :  they  have  set 
their  eyes  bowing  down  to  the 
earth ; 

12  Like  as  a  lion  that_  is  greedy 
of  his  prey,  and  as  it  were  a 
young  lion  lurking  in  secret  places. 

13  Arise,  O  Lord,  disappoint 
him,  cast  him  down:  deliver  my 
soul  from  the  wicked,  zvhich  is 
thy   sword : 

14  From  men  zvhich  are  thy 
hand,  O  Lord,  from  men  of  the 
world,  zvhich  have  their  portion 
in  this  life,  and  whose  belly  thou 
fillest  with  thy  hid  treasure:  they 
are  full  of  children,  and  leave 
the  rest  of  their  substance  to 
their  babes. 

15  As  for  mc,  I  will  behold  thy 
face  in  righteousness :  I  shall  be 
satisfied,  when  I  awake,  with  thy 
likeness. 


128  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

1.  Lord  of  my  right,  i.  e.,  who  decides  for  me.  By  lips 
unfeigned;  i.  e.,  of  an  unfeigned,  sincere  worshipper  and 
behever.  2.  My  judgment,  i.  e.,  judgment  in  my  favor. 
3.  My  reins,  as  in  Ps.  16^.  By  a  very  slight  change  of 
letters  a  copyist  made  out  of  this  night,  which  seems  here 
grammatically  impossible.  Purged  with  fire,  i.  e.,  as  gold  is 
refined.  No  harlotry;  i.  e.,  worship  of  false  gods,  a  figure 
common  in  the  prophets;  and  in  point  of  fact  a  concomitant 
of  that  worship  was  actual,  physical  harlotry.  This  is  further 
explained  (Greek  text)  by  the  statement  (4)  that  he  does 
not  address  himself  to  things  made  by  men,  but  has  kept 
the  way  of  righteousness  (conjectural  text  emendation) 
through  the  instruction  of  Yahaweh,  i.  e.,  His  oracles,  the 
•word  of  His  lips  (apparently  a  reference  to  the  ten  words, 
the  contents  of  the  Ark),  planting  his  feet  firmly  in  the  well 
beaten  tracks  (5)  ;  i.  e.,  the  ruts  made  by  the  traffic,  where 
footing  is  secure,  a  figure  clear  to  all  who  have  followed 
caravan  routes.  The  picture  of  the  virtue  of  the  suppliant 
in  the  foregoing  reminds  one  of  Egyptian  royal  inscriptions, 
and  somewhat  of  the  self-satisfaction  of  the  Pharisee  in  our 
Lord's  well  known  parable.  6.  Based  on  this  righteousness 
is  the  appeal  to  El,  as  in  the  preceding  Psalm,  for  deliverance 
from  the  foe  who  has  overrun  the  land  (7)  and  has  sur- 
rounded Jerusalem.  8.  Apple  of  the  daughter  of  the  eye; 
duplicate  phrases  for  the  pupil  of  the  eye.  The  shadow  of 
Thy  wings  is  a  reference  to  the  overshadowing  wings  of 
the  Cherubim  in  the  sanctuary  of  the  Temple.  9.  As  in 
former  siege  Psalms  the  enemy  have  plundered  the  land 
and  now  surround  Jerusalem.  10.  Heart,  literally  diaphragm, 
i.  e.,  an  expression  of  merciless  cruelty.  For  the  boasting 
cf.  12^'*.  n.  Following  the  Greek  text  we  have  a  picture 
of  the  progress  of  the  enemy,  who,  driving  the  Jews  before 
them  out  of  the  smaller  towns  and  villages  (cf.  the  vivid 
picture  of  an  Assyrian  invasion  in  Is.  10)  have  now  encircled 
Jerusalem,  with  the  intention  of  taking  possession  of  the 
land.  12.  For  greater  efifect  singular  and  plural  interchange, 
the  enemy  being  now  he^  now  they.  The  Hebrew  had  numer- 
ous words  for  the  lion,  which  our  language  represents  in 
halting  fashion ;  evidence  of  the  great  part  the  lion  played 
in  their  experience.  13.  Here  comes  the  customary  liturgical 
sacrificial  cry,  and  summons  of  Yahaweh  to  action.  14.  I 
have   followed  the   Hebrew   consonant  text,   but   not   the   later 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


129 


vowel  pointing,  which  gives  no  intelligible  meaning,  changing 
only  one  letter  in  one  word  (apportioning),  as  suggested  by 
the  word  following.  Those  who  have  planned  to  possess  the 
land  are  to  have  no  other  portion  in  it  than  that  of  the  wild 
beasts,  who  are  hunted  and  slain.  Blast,  literally  north  wind, 
chosen  because  of  the  direction  from  which  this  and  prac- 
tically all  invasions  came.  In  the  old  Babylonian  myth  Marduk 
is  represented  as  destroying  Tiamat  by  driving  the  blast  of 
his  wind  down  her  mouth  into  her  belly.  This  is  the  food 
which  the  invaders,  who  had  expected  a  spoil  of  rich  living, 
receive  from  Yahaweh,  and  enough  to  sate  their  youths  and 
feed  the  babes  at  home  with  the  remnants  left  over.  15.  The 
Psalm  closes  with  the  expression  of  satisfaction  of  the  sup- 
pliant, as  is  common.  In  righteousness,  i.  e.,  justified  of  God. 
He  is  fully  satisfied,  literally,  "zmth  the  awaking  of  Thy  likeness, 
which  I  have  ventured  to  paraphrase,  the  vision  of  Thy  glory; 
manifested  in  the  destruction  of  the  hostile  invaders. 

It   is   a  powerful    Psalm,    rugged    and   uneven,   primitive    in 
its  thought  and  figures,  and  almost  crudely  anthropomorphic. 


XVIII 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David,  the  servant  of  the  Lord,  who  spake  unto  the 

Lord  the  words  of  this  song  in  the  day  that  the  Lord  delivered  him  from  tlie 

hand  of  all  his  enemies,  and  from  the  hand  of  Saul:    And  he  said: 


I 


WILL    love    thee,    O    Lord,    my 
strength. 


2  The  Lord  is  my  Clifif,  and  my 
Fortress,  and  my  Deliverer,  m}'- 
God,  my  strength,  in  vi^hom  I  will 
trust;  my  buckler,  and  the  horn 
of  my  salvation,  and  my  high 
tower. 

3  I  will  call  upon  the  Lord, 
who  is  worthy  to  be  praised :  so 
shall  I  be  saved  from  mine  en- 
emies. 

4  The  sorrows  of  death  com- 
passed me,  and  the  floods  of  un- 
godly   men    made    me    afraid. 

5  The  sorrows  of  hell  com- 
passed me  about:  the  snares  of 
death   prevented   me. 


1.  I      love      Thee,      Lord,      my 

Strength. 

2.  The  Lord  is  my  Cliff,  and  my 

Fortress,   and   my  Deliverer, 
My  God,  my  Rock  in  whom  I 

seek   shelter. 
My    Shield,   and   my   Horn   of 

Salvation,    my    Tower,    and 

my   Refuge, 
My      Savior,      from     violence 

Thou   savest   me. 
In    songs    of   praise    I   call    to 

the    Lord, 

3.  And     from     mine    enemies     I 

am  saved. 

4.  The    waves    of    death    encom- 

passed me, 
And   the   streams   of  perdition 
o'erwhelm   me; 

5.  The  cords  of  hell  surrounded 

me, 
The  snares  of  death  confront- 
ed  me. 


130 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


6  In  my  distress  I  called  upon 
the  Lord,  and  cried  unto  my  God : 
he  heard  my  voice  out  of  his 
temple,  and  my  cry  came  before 
him,    even    into    his    ears. 

7  Then  the  earth  shook  and 
trembled ;  the  foundations  also  of 
the  hills  moved  and  were  shaken, 
because    he    was    wroth. 

8  There  went  up  a  smoke  out 
of  his  nostrils,  and  fire  out  of 
his  mouth  devoured :  coals  were 
kindled  by  it. 

9  He  bowed  the  heavens  also, 
and  came  down:  and  darkness 
was   under   his    feet. 

10  And  he  rode  upon  a  cherub, 
and  did  fly :  yea,  he  did  fly  upon 
the    wings    of    the    wind. 

11  He  made  darkness  his  se- 
cret place ;  his  pavilion  round 
about  him  were  dark  waters  and 
thick  clouds  of  the  skies. 

12  At  the  brightness  that  zvas 
before  him  his  thick  clouds  passed, 
hail   stones  and   coals   of    fire. 

13  The  Lord  also  thundered  in 
the  heavens,  and  the  Highest  gave 
his  voice;  hail  stones  and  coals 
of    fire. 

14  Yea,  he  sent  out  his  arrows, 
and  scattered  them ;  and  he  shot 
out  lightnings,  and  discomfited  them. 

15  Then  the  channels  of  waters 
were  seen,  and  the  foundations  of 
the  world  were  discovered  at  thy 
rebuke,  O  Lord,  at  the  blast  of 
the  breath  of  thy  nostrils. 

16  He  sent  from  above,  he  took 
me,  he  drew  me  out  of  many 
waters. 


6.  In    my    strait    I    call    to    the 

Lord, 
And  unto  my  God  I  cry  aloud ; 
And     He     heard     from     His 

palace  my  voice, 
And  my  cry  with  His  ears. 

7.  And    the    earth    quivered    and 

quaked, 

The  pillars  of  heaven  stag- 
ger 

And  tottered,  because  He  was 
wroth. 

8.  There    went    up    smoke    from 

His    nostrils, 
And     fire     from     His     mouth 

devoureth ; 
Coals   kindled    therefrom. 

9.  And    He    bowed    the    heavens, 

and   came    down. 
And    storm-clouds    under   His 
feet; 

10.  He    rode    on   the    cherub,    and 

flew, 
And    swooped    on    the    wings 
of    the    wind : 

11.  And     made     darkness     about 

him    a    covert, 
Masses  of  waters,  dense  mists 
of    clouds 

12.  From     the    brightness    before 

Him, 
Kindled  coals  of  fire. 

13.  The  Lord  thundered  in  heav- 

en. 
And    the    Most    High     utters 
His    voice ; 

14.  And  He  sent  out  His  arrows 

and  scattered  them. 
And   lightnings  He  multiplied, 
and    confounded    them. 

15.  And    the    torrents    of    ocean 

appeared. 
The   foundations  of  earth  are 

disclosed, 
At    Thy    rebuke,    O    Lord,    at 

the   blast   of   the   breath   of 

Thy    nostrils. 

16.  He    reacheth    from    on    high, 

He   taketh   me. 
He  draweth  me  out  of  many 
waters ; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


131 


17  He  delivered  me  from  my 
strong  enemy,  and  from  them 
which  hated  me:  for  they  were 
too    strong    for    me. 

18  They  prevented  me  in  the 
day  of  my  calamity:  but  the  Lord 
was   my   stay. 

19  He  brought  me  forth  also 
into  a  large  place;  he  delivered 
me,    because    he    delighted    in    me. 

20  The  Lord  rewarded  me  ac- 
cording to  my  righteousness;  ac- 
cording to  the  cleanness  of  my 
hands   hath  he   recompensed   me. 

21  For  I  have  kept  the  wrays  of 
the  Lord,  and  have  not  wickedly 
departed    from    my    God. 

22  For  all  his  judgments  were 
before  me,  and  I  did  not  put 
away  his  statutes  from  me. 

23  I  was  also  upright  before 
him,  and  I  kept  myself  from  mine 
iniquity. 

24  Therefore  hath  the  Lord  rec- 
ompensed me  according  to  my 
righteousness,  according  to  the 
cleanness  of  my  hands  in  his  eye- 
sight. 

25  With  the  merciful  thoq  wilt 
shew  thyself  merciful;  with  an 
upright  man  thou  wilt  shew  thy- 
self  upright; 


26  With  the  pure  thou  wilt  shew 
thyself  pure;  and  with  the  for- 
ward thou  wilt  shew  thyself  for- 
ward. 

27  For  thou  wilt  save  the  af- 
flicted people;  but  wilt  bring  down 
high    looks. 

28  For  thou  wilt  light  my  can- 
dle :  the  Lord  my  God  will  enlighten 
my  darkness. 

29  For  by  thee  I  have  run 
through  a  troop;  and  by  my  God 
have   I   leaped   over   a   wall. 


17.  From    my    fierce    foe    He    res- 

cueth    me. 
From  my  haters,  for  they  pre- 
vailed against  me. 

18.  They  confront  me  in  my  day 

of   trouble, 
And     the     Lord    became     my 
stay ; 

19.  And  He  brought  me  into  the 

open. 
He   rescueth   me,   for   He  has 
delight    in    me. 


20.  The  Lord  rewardeth  me  after 

my    righteousness, 
After    the    cleanness    of     my 
hands  He  requiteth  me ; 

21.  For  I  have  kept  the  ways  of 

the   Lord, 
And   transgressed  not   against 
my  God. 

22.  For    all    His    judgments    are 

before    me, 
And    His    statutes    I    cast    not 
from    me ; 

23.  And    I    was    blameless   toward 

Him, 
And  guarded  myself  from  my 
guilt. 

24.  And    the    Lord    requited    me 

after    my    righteousness. 
After    the    cleanness    of    my 
hands  in  His  sight. 

25.  Toward  the  pious  Thou  show- 

est  piety; 
Toward  the  blameless,  blame- 
lessness ; 

26.  With    the   pure    Thou    dealest 

purely ; 
But    with    the    crooked,    per- 
versely. 

27.  And    an    humble    folk    Thou 

savest, 
And     Thine     eye     is     on    the 
haughty  to  abase  him. 

28.  For    Thou    art    my    lamp,    O 

Lord, 
My     God     that     lightens     my 
darkness. 

29.  For  by  Thee  I  break  through 

a    troop, 
By  my  God  I  leap  over  a  wall, 
wall. 


132 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


30  As  for  God,  his  way  is  per- 
fect: the  word  of  the  Lord  is 
tried:  he  is  a  buckler  to  all  those 
that   trust  in   him. 

31  For  who  is  God  save  the 
Lord?  or  who  is  a  rock  save 
our   God? 

32  //  is  God  that  girdeth  me 
with  strength,  and  maketh  my  way 
perfect. 

33  He  maketh  my  feet  like 
hinds'  feet,  and  setteth  me  upon 
my   high  places. 

34  He  teacheth  my  hands  to 
war,  so  that  a  bow  of  steel  is 
broken   by  mine  arms. 

35  Thou  hast  also  given  me  the 
shield  of  thy  salvation :  and  thy 
right  hand  hath  holden  me  up,  and 
thy  gentleness  hath  made  me 
great. 

36  Thou  hast  enlarged  my  steps 
under  me,  that  my  feet  did  not 
slip. 

37  I  have  pursued  mine  enemies, 
and  overtaken  them :  neither  did  I 
turn  again  till  they  were  con- 
sumed. 

38  I  have  wounded  them  that 
they  were  not  able  to  rise :  they 
are   fallen  under  my  feet. 

39  For  thou  hast  girded  me 
with  strength  unto  the  battle : 
thou  hast  subdued  under  me  those 
that   rose  up   against  me. 

40  Thou  hast  also  given  me  the 
necks  of  mine  enemies;  that  I 
might  destroy  them   that  hate   me. 

41  They  cried,  but  there  was 
none  to  save  them :  even  unto  the 
Lord,   but   he   answered    them   not. 

42  Then  did  I  beat  them  small 
as  the  dust  before  the  wind:  I 
did  cast  them  out  as  the  dirt  in 
the  streets. 


30.  The    God,    His    way    is    per- 

fect : 
The    word    of    the     Lord    is 

tried, 
A    shield    is    He    to    all    that 

hide   in    Him. 

31.  For    who    is    God    except    the 

Lord? 
And   who  a   Rock   except  our 

God? 
22.     The     God     that     girdeth     me 

with    might, 
And  made  blameless  my  way, 

33.  Giving  me  feet  like  the  hinds; 
And    on    the    heights    He    es- 
tablished   me ; 

34.  Training    my    hands    for    the 

battle ; 
And   mine   arms   have   bent   a 
bow  of  bronze. 

35.  And     Thou     gavest     me     the 

shield  of   Thy   salvation. 
And   Thy   right  hand   sustain- 

eth  me, 
And  Thy  humility  maketh  me 

great. 

36.  Thou  makest  broad   my   steps 

beneath  me. 
And  mine  ankles  wavered  not. 

37.  I   pursue   my    foes   and   catch 

them, 
I    turn    not    till    they    are    de- 
stroyed ; 

38.  I    dash    them    in    pieces,    and 

they    cannot    rise. 
And     they     fall     beneath     my 
feet. 

39.  And    Thou    girdest    me    with 

might   for  the  battle, 
Thou    humblest    mine    assail- 
ants under  me ; 

40.  And      mine      enemies      Thou 

makest  show  me  the  back. 
My    haters,    and    I    blot    them 

out. 
They  cry,  but   none    saveth, 

41.  To    the     Lord,     and     He    an- 

swered them  not. 

42.  And  I  powder  them  like  dust 

before  the  wind. 
Like  mire  of  the  streets  tram- 
ple them. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


133 


43  Thou  hast  delivered  me  from 
the  strivings  of  the  people ;  and 
thou  hast  made  me  the  head  of 
the  heathen :  a  people  whom  I 
have  not  known  shall  serve  me. 

44  As  soon  as  they  hear  of  me, 
they  shall  obey  me :  the  strangers 
shall   submit   themselves    unto    me. 

45  The  strangers  shall  fade 
away,  and  be  afraid  out  of  their 
close    places. 

46  The  Lord  liveth ;  and  blessed 
be  my  Rock;  and  let  the  God 
of  my  salvation  be  exalted. 

47  It  is  God  that  avengeth  me, 
and  subdueth  the  people  under 
me. 

48  He  delivereth  me  from  mine 
enemies:  yea,  thou  liftest  me  up 
above  those  that  rise  up  against 
me :  thou  hast  delivered  me  from 
the  violent  man. 

49  Therefore  will  I  give  thanks 
unto  thee,  O  Lord,  among  the 
heathen,  and  sing  praises  unto  thy 
name. 

50  Great  deliverance  giveth  he 
to  his  king;  and  sheweth  mercy 
to  his  anointed,  to  David,  and 
to  his  seed  for  evermore. 


43.  And    Thou    rescuest    me    from 

strifes   of   the  people. 
Thou  settest  me    for  head   of 

the    nations ; 
People  I  knew  not   serve  me. 

44.  Strange  races  do  me  homage, 
At    the    hearing    of    the    ear 

they  hearken  to  me. 

45.  Strange    races    come    cringing, 
And     trembling      from     their 

crannies. 

46.  The   Lord   liveth,   and   blessed 

be  my  Rock, 
And    exalted   the   God   of    my 
salvation, 

47.  The      God      that     giveth     me 

vengeance, 
And    subdueth    peoples    under 
me, 

48.  And    saveth    me    from    mine 

enemies ; 

And  over  my  foes  Thou  lift- 
est  me    up. 

From  the  men  of  violence 
Thou    rescuest    me. 

49.  Therefore      I      thank      Thee, 

Lord,   among   the   nations. 
And  to  Thy  name  make  mel- 
ody; 

50.  Multiplying  the  victories  of  his 

king, 
And      shewing     love     to     his 

anointed, 
To    David    and    to    his    seed 

forever. 


/  Love  Thee,  Lord,  My  Strength 

1.  This  is  the  title  of  the  Psalm,  by  which  it  was  known 
in  the  Temple  psalmody,  but  which  does  not  appear  in  the 
somewhat  more  original  form  in  which  this  great  hymn  of 
victory  has  been  preserved  in  2  Sam.  22.  In  both  forms 
the  same  heading  appears,  ascribing  it  to  David.  2.  After 
a  very  ancient  fashion,  familiar  in  Babylonian  psalmody,  this 
Psalm  commences  with  a  long  list  of  honorific  titles  of  Yaha- 
weh,  nine  in  all,  militant  in  character.  The  honorific  titles 
of  Enlil,  lord  of  the  most  ancient  Babylonian  temple  at 
Nippur,  in  his  psalms,  were  also  regularly  nine.  .  Salvation 
and    savior   are    words    from    the    same    root,    which    is    also 


134  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

rendered  deliverance  and  victory.  This  is  the  root  out  of 
which  are  formed  the  proper  names  Joshua  and  Jesus. 
3.  In  songs  of  praise,  Hterally  zmth  hallels  (sacrificial  praise 
cries),  /  call  YaJiazveh.  4.  He  describes  the  dangers  with 
which  he  was  surrounded,  first  in  terms  of  storm  and  torrent, 
then,  5,  as  the  result  of  the  devilish  sorceries  and  enchant- 
ments by  which  his  foes  sought  to  bind  and  trap  him  to 
destruction.  6.  Palace  or  temple,  literally  great  house,  the 
regular  and  ancient  term  for  the  abode  of  God  or  king,  used 
in  the  earliest  Babylonian  inscriptions,  and  borrowed  by 
Hebrew  and  Semitic  Babylonian  from  an  earlier  non-Semitic 
tongue.  Here,  as  in  the  preceding  Psalms,  God  has  an  abode 
on  earth,  to  which  petitions  may  be  addressed  and  to  which 
He  may  be  called,  but  His  actual  presence  is  in  heaven.  So 
here  the  answer  comes  from  heaven.  7.  Yahaweh  was  not 
the  God  of  the  storm,  but  the  storm  was  one  of  His  methods 
of  manifestation  (but  cf.  1  K.  11  ^^  ^  for  the  very  early 
development  of  a  highly  spiritual  view),  so  here  the  answer 
commences  with  the  rumbling  of  the  distant  storm,  the  wrath 
of  God  aroused.  8.  The  gathering  cloud  banks  are  the  steam- 
ing breath  driven  up  by  His  nostrils ;  His  fiery  presence 
behind  is  disclosed  by  the  sheet  lightning,  like  coals  of  wood 
ever  and  anon  kindled  to  a  glow  therefrom.  9.  Then  the 
quick  rush  of  the  storm,  the  sky  bowing  down  on  the  earth, 
and  the  awful,  ominous  darkness  that  hides  His  presence 
above.  10.  The  rush  of  the  clouds  driven  by  the  wind. 
These  are  the  real  cherubim  of  which  those  in  the  shrine  at 
Jerusalem  are  but  the  figure,  as  the  dark  inner  sanctuary, 
where  the  Ark  rested  between  them,  was  a  symbol  of  the 
darkness  of  the  clouds  behind  which  was  the  brightness  of 
the  presence  of  Yahaweh  (see  for  some  of  the  language  and 
imagery    here    used    the    visions    in    Is.    6,    and    Ez.    1,    2). 

12.  Showing    itself    in    the    glowing    of    the    sheet    lightning. 

13.  The  storm  bursts.  In  Hebrew  thunder  is  called  the  voice 
of  God.  14.  The  lightning  is  His  weapon.  15.  Then  the  down- 
pour of  rain,  the  torrential  rush  of  waters  in  the  ravines  and 
wadis  from  the  cloudburst  with  which  the  heavenly  ocean 
descends ;  and  that  sense  that  even  civilized  man  has  in  such 
moments  of  the  wrath  of  primeval  powers,  threatening  the 
stability  of  the  universe,  and  revealing  things  unsuspected. 
16.  So  far  the  wrath  of  God  on  high  in  the  storm,  the 
thunder    and    lightning;    the    more    striking    his    deliverance   by 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  135 

the  hand  of  God  stretching  down  from  on  high;  and  so 
17.  We  pass  from  the  figure  of  the  storm  to  the  more 
literal  statements  of  his  deliverance  from  and  victory  over 
his  powerful  adversaries.  19.  The  open,  or  broad  place,  is 
deliverance  from  distress,  the  strait  (cf.  6)  ;  the  language  of 
a  mountain  land,  like  Judah.  20.  As  in  the  preceding  Psalm 
his  deliverance  takes  place  because  he  has  been  a  true 
worshipper  of  Yahaweh,  has  offered  right  sacrifices,  kept 
the  law  of  cleanliness,  and  obeyed  His  judgments  and  statutes. 
Some  have  regarded  this  and  the  following  verses  (through  27) 
as  an  interpolation,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  appear  also 
in  2  Sam.  22,  apparently  because  they  suppose  all  ritual,  legal 
references  to  be  late.  In  reality  ritual  is  one  of  the  earliest 
elements  in  civilization,  and  the  more  primitive  the  religion, 
the  more  rigid  the  ritual  law  is  likely  to  be,  the  favor  of 
the  gods  depending  especially  on  the  proper  observance  of 
rites  and  taboos.  The  language  of  these  verses  corresponds 
with  the  earlier  Hebrew  standards  and  practices  as  we  know 
them  from  such  sources  as  the  books  of  Samuel.  21.  Way 
of  the  Lord  is  worship  of  Yahaweh,  as  over  against  worship 
of  other  gods.  22.  Judgments  are  decisions  in  special  cases, 
which  then  become  common  law ;  statutes  are  specific  rules 
ordained  by  authority.  There  was  absolutely  no  distinction 
between  ecclesiastical  and  civil  law  and  procedure.  23,  Guilt 
is  the  calamity  which  always  results  from  sin.  By  careful 
observance  of  the  rites  and  rules  of  Yahaweh  he  has  kept 
himself  from  sin  and  hence  avoided  calamity.  24-27.  The 
second  stanza  of  the  ritual  motif,  commencing  with  the  same 
verse  as  the  first,  sets  forth  in  naive  language  the  relation 
of  Yahaweh  to  men.  Toward  the  pious  who  observe  His 
laws  of  piety,  cleanness,  and  square  dealing  (see  preceding 
Psalm),  He  is  easy  to  approach,  responding  in  kind;  but 
to  the  false  worshipper  He  is  dreadful  and  inscrutable,  wrest- 
ing all  things  to  his  hurt ;  an  inscrutableness  which  shows 
itself  in  His  attitude  toward  the  high  and  the  lowly  of  earth, 
humbling  the  former,  exalting  the  latter.  This  is  a  common 
thought  in  Babylonian  and  Egyptian,  as  in  Hebrew  psalmody 
(cf.  Introduction),  and  some  of  the  most  characteristic  ex- 
pressions of  it  are  to  be  found  in  the  earliest  literature  (cf. 
the  Prayer  of  Hannah,  1  Sam.  2).  Of  course  the  lowly, 
humble,  poor,  needy,  etc.,  is  always  the  worshipper  and  his 
people,  against  whom  the  haughty  and  aggressive  conquerors 


136  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

level  their  attacks.  28,  29.  Here  the  Psalmist  seems  to  be 
accumulating  tropes  to  express  the  manifoldness  of  the  mercies 
of  Yahaweh  (30),  who  is  the  God  (Hebrew  El  not  Elohim) 
i.  e.,  the  Divine  one  par  excellence,  on  whose  word  and 
power  one  may  rely  against  all  others.  In  general  this 
stanza  represents  the  religious  attitude  of  David,  as  we 
gather  it  from  the  historical  books,  so-called  henotheism, 
worship  of  and  belief  in  Yahaweh  as  the  special  and  only 
god  of  Israel,  through  whose  interference  and  deliverance  he 
shall  win  deliverance  from  and  victory  over  all  the  sur- 
rounding nations  and  their  inferior  deities.  3L  God,  in  the 
Samuel  text  El,  as  in  v.  30;  in  the  Psalm  text  Eloah,  the  same 
word  as  the  Arabic  Allah,  the  unusual  singular  of  Elohim. 
33.  The  mountaineer,  agile  in  the  rough  hill  country  as  are 
the  deer;  and  unassailable  in  his  fortress  crag.  34.  His  God 
is  truly  a  god  of  battles.  35.  One  is  reminded  a  little  of 
the  equipment  of  the  heavenly  warrior  as  described  by  St. 
Paul.  But  here  God  goes  by  his  side,  shields  him  with  His 
shield,  holds  him  up  with  His  hand.  The  humility  is  that 
quality  which  made  God  show  kindness  to  the  poor  and  needy, 
which,  as  we  have  seen,  was  conceived  of  as  the  habitual  atti 
tude  of  God.  God  is  thought  of  as  having  that  quality  which 
is  best  in  man.  The  idea  or  belief  passes  over  into  Chris- 
tianity in  the  doctrine  of  Him  who  because  of  the  greatness 
of  His  divinity  humbled  himself  even  to  the  death  upon  the 
cross.  36.  In  this  and  the  two  following  verses  we  return 
to  the  battle  picture  of  vv.  13-19,  and  take  up  the  pursuit  of 
the  foes  whom  Yahaweh  scattered.  39-42.  This  stanza  cele- 
brates the  completeness  of  his  victories,  attributed  to  the 
power  of  Yahaweh,  who,  however,  will  pay  no  heed  to  the 
cry  of  the  enemy;  the  same  attitude  toward  his  god  displayed 
in  the  inscriptions  of  Egyptian,  Babylonian  and  Assyrian 
kings.  43-45.  This  stanza  celebrates  the  extent  of  his  vic- 
tories, which  brought  him  homage  and  tribute  from  lands  of 
alien  peoples  far  beyond  the  bounds  of  Israel.  46-48.  This 
is  a  stanza  of  praise  to  Yahaweh,  who  has  shown  a  most 
vital  divinity.  The  frequent  use  of  the  title  Rock  reminds 
one  of  the  great  part  rock  worship  played  in  Palestine,  traces 
of  which  still  linger.  Salvation  may  be  rendered  also  victory  of 
deliverance.  50.  This  verse  constitutes  the  finish  very  com- 
mon in  the  Psalms,  praise  and  melody  to  Yahaweh  for  his 
deliverances,  victories  and  so  forth,  with,  in  this  case,  special 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


137 


mention  of  David  and  the  royal  house.  Multiplying  or  mag- 
nifying. Anointed,  the  same  word  which  was  rendered  Christ 
in  Ps.  2. 

There  seems  no  reason  why  we  should  not  take  the  heading 
of  this  Psalm  at  its  face  value.  It  was  a  triumphal  hymn  to 
celebrate  the  victories  of  David,  in  connection  with  feasting 
and  sacrifice,  composed  by  him  or  under  his  name  in  his 
time,  and  preserved  in  what  we  may  call  the  national  litera- 
ture (2  Sam.  22),  as  also  in  the  collection  of  Temple  liturgies 
(Ps.  18).  Following  what  has  been  said  in  the  Introduction 
about  the  growth  of  psalmody,  I  think  we  may  assume  that 
the  dating  of  this  Psalm  carries  with  it  a  very  early  date 
for  all  the  preceding  Psalms   from  3  onward. 

The  Samuel  text  is  on  the  whole  the  better,  and  I  have  fol- 
lowed it  generally  in  preference  to  the  Psalm  text.  The  poem 
is  primitive  and  even  archaic  in  language,  expression  and 
thought;  but  vigorous  and  in  parts  magnificent.  Its  picture 
of  the  gathering  and  breaking  of  the  thunderstorm  is  unsur- 
passed in  any  literature.  I  have  translated  purposely  with 
extreme  literalness,  preserving  the  order  of  the  words,  the 
extraordinary  use  of  the  conjunction,  and  the  systematized  in- 
terchange of  past  and  preterite,  believing  that  I  could  thus 
best  represent,  in  some  degree  at  least,  the  peculiarly  swift, 
sweeping  effect  of  the  original. 

The  first  part  of  Ps.  144  is  based  on  this  Psalm;  the  first 
few  verses  are  used  in  Ps.  116^'*;  and  v.  31  in  Prov.  30  ^ 

XIX 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


THE  heavens   declare   the   glory 
of    God ;    and    the    firmament 
sheweth   his   handywork. 

2  Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech, 
and  night  unto  night  sheweth 
knowledge. 

3  There  is  no  speech  nor  lan- 
guage, where  their  voice  is  not 
heard. 

4  Their  line  is  gone  out  through 
all  the  earth,  and  their  words  to 
the  end  of  the  world.  In  them 
hath  he  set  a  tabernacle  for  the 
sun, 

5  Which  is  as  a  bridegroom 
coming  out  of  his  chamber,  and 
rejoiceth  as  a  strong  man  to  run 
a   race. 


1.  The    heavens    are    telling    the 

glory  of  God, 
And    the    firmament    showeth 
His  handiwork; 

2.  Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech, 
And    night    to    night    showeth 

knowledge. 

3.  Their  voice  has  gone  through 

all   the   earth, 

4.  And   their   words   to   the   end 

of  the  world. 

In    them   the    sun   hath   set   a 
tent; 

5.  And   he   is   like   a  bridegroom 

going  forth  from  his  chamber ; 
He     exulteth     like     a     mighty 
man  to  run  his  course. 


/ 


138 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


6  His  going  forth  is  from  the 
end  of  the  heaven,  and  his  cir- 
cuit unto  the  ends  of  it:  and 
there  is  nothing  hid  from  the  heat 
thereof. 

7  The  law  of  the  Lord  is  per- 
fect, converting  the  soul :  the  tes- 
timony of  the  Lord  is  sure,  mak- 
ing wise  the  simple. 

8  The  statutes  of  the  Lord  are 
right,  rejoicing  the  heart:  the 
commandment  of  the  Lord  is  pure, 
enlightening  the  eyes. 

9  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  clean, 
enduring  for  ever:  the  judgments 
of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous 
altogether. 

10  More  to  be  desired  are  they 
than  gold,  yea,  than  much  fine 
gold :  sweeter  also  than  honey  and 
the  honeycomb. 

11  Moreover  by  them  is  thy 
servant  warned :  and  in  keeping 
of   them    there   is    great   reward. 

12  Who  can  understand  his  er- 
rors? cleanse  thou  me  from  secret 
faidts. 

13  Keep  back  thy  servant  also 
from  presumptuous  sins;  let  them 
not  have  dominion  over  me :  then 
shall  I  be  upright,  and  I  shall  be 
innocent  from  the  great  transgres- 
sion. 

14  Let  the  words  of  my  mouth, 
and  the  meditation  of  my  heart, 
be  acceptable  in  thy  sight.  O  Lord, 
my  strength,  and  my  redeemer. 


6.  From  the  end  of  the  heavens 

his   outgoing. 
And  his  circuit  to  the  ends  of 

them; 
And   nought   is   hid   from   his 

orb. 

7.  The   law   of  the  Lord   is  per- 

fect,  giving   life; 
The    testimony    of    the    Lord 
is  faithful,  making  wise  the 
simple ; 

8.  The  precepts  of  the  Lord  are 

right,   rejoicing  the  heart. 

The  commandment  of  the  Lord 
is  pure,  enlightening  the 
eyes; 

9.  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  clean, 

enduring  forever; 
The    judgments    of    the    Lord 
are     truth,     righteous     alto- 
gether. 

10.     More  precious  than  gold. 
Than  gold  much  refined ; 
Sweeter  than  honey. 
Than    the    droppings    of     the 

comb. 
Yea,  by  them   Thy   servant  is 

warned ; 
In  keeping  them  there  is  great 

reward. 

Who  discerneth  secret  sins? 
Cleanse  me  from  hidden 
faults. 

From  wilful  sins,  oh  guard 
Thy  servant ;  let  them  not 
rule  over  me. 

So  shall  I  be  blameless,  and 
innocent  of  great  transgres- 
sion. 

14.  Be  the  words  of  my  mouth 
acceptable. 

And  the  musing  of  my  heart 
before  Thee, 

O  Lord,  my  rock  and  my  re- 
deemer. 


11. 

12. 
13. 


To  the  Light 

1-6.  These  verses  were  originally  a  hymn  to  El,  God,  as 
Shemesh,  or  Shamash,  the  Sun.  The  Hebrew  of  the  earlier 
periods  was  continually  identifying  his  God  with  the  gods  of 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  139 

the  people   about  him,   and   worshipping  Him  as    the   Baal   of 
this    place,    or    as    that    or    the    other    El,    or    manifestation   of 
divinity.      This   naturally   led  to   a   real   polytheism,  the  actual 
worship  of  those  deities,  and  on  the  other  hand  to  the  intro- 
duction of  the  immoral  and  cruel  rites  peculiar  to  those  gods 
into    the    worship    of    their    own    God.      Against    these    things 
the  prophets,  commencing   with   Elijah,    thundered.      The    spe- 
cial mission  of  Elijah,  carried  in  his  name,  "my  God   (El)    is 
Yah"    (the    ancient    form    of    the    name    Yahaweh),    was    that 
Yahaweh    only    is    El,    i.    e.,    that  divinity    was    manifested    in 
Yahaweh  only,  and  not  in  any  of  the  Baals  and  gods  of  other 
names,   substantially   a  reafifirmation  of   primitive   Hebrew   reli- 
gion.    This  is  practically  the  attitude  of  the  preceding  Davidic 
Psalm    (cf.  w.  30  f).     This  view  did  not  prevail  in  the  reli- 
gion and  religious  practises  of  kings  and  people  until  toward 
the  close  of  the  7th  century  B.  C.     The  account  of  the  reform 
of  Josiah    (621   B.   C.)   shows  us  that  at  that  time  the  central 
Ark   shrine   of    Yahaweh    in    the    Jerusalem   temple    was    sur- 
rounded  by   shrines    for  the   worship   of   god  as   Shemesh   the 
Sun,  Molech  the  King,  the  Serpent  and  others    (2  K.  2,  3).^ 
This  was  not  necessarily  conscious  polytheism.     Yahaweh  was 
the  great  god,  worshipped  in  the  central  shrine.     These  were 
subordinate    deities,    saints,    as    it    were,    through    whom    His 
divinity  was  manifested  in  special  ways.     Later,  as  in  Jeremiah 
and  Ezekiel,  we  find  that  such  worship  has  become  conscious 
polytheism.     This  Psalm  belongs  to  the  earlier  period.     Now  in 
Egyptian,  Babylonian  and  Greek  religion,  and  even  in  the  Indian 
Rig  Veda,  we  find  hymns  addressed  to  some  god,  which,  taken 
by  themselves,  are  monotheistic.    They  ascribe  all  po\yer,  and  all 
virtue  to  that  god  only,  ignoring  all  others ;  and  especially  is  this 
true  of  hymns  to  the  sun  god,  in  which  worship  all  these  religions 
reached  their  greatest  height  of  spirituality  and  inspiration.    Com- 
pare, for  instance,  this  fragment  of  a  hymn  to  Shamash  from 
Ashurbanipal's  library : 

"Shamash,  king  of  heaven  and  earth,  directs  all  things  above  and  below; 
To  quicken  the  dead,  set  the  captive  free,  is  in  Shamash's^hand; 
He  is  creator  of  everything  in  heaven  and  on  the  earth." 

Some  of   those  hymns  might  in   fact  be  used   in   Christian 
worship  today  without  offence.     The  same  is  true  of  this  hymn 

1  Cf.    Peters,  Religion  of  the  Hebrews. 


140  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

to  the  sun,  embodied  in  the  old  Temple  Psalmody,  setting 
forth  the  glory  of  God  revealed  in  the  orb  of  the  sun,  ruling 
the  heavens,  overseeing  all  things  on  earth,  making  the  darkness 
light.  With  this  conception  we  sing  it  today,  as  did  the 
Hebrew  of  old. 

1-4^.  These  verses,  constituting  the  first  stanza,  represent 
the  ordinary  primitive  Hebrew  cosmogony,  the  world  fashioned 
by  the  hand  of  God  (El)  only;  the  solid  firmament  like  a  vault 
spanning  the  earth ;  sun  and  moon  and  stars  set  there  by  Him,  all 
therefore  telling  His  glory  and  showing  His  wisdom  to  men 
throughout  the  world.  One  is  reminded  of  the  singing  of  the 
stars  in  Job  38  ^.  3.  There  is  no  speech,  and  there  are  no  words 
of  those  whose  voice  is  not  heard.  This  is  a  glOss,  written  in  by 
some  literalist.  Not  a  few  such  glosses,  in  similar  phraseology, 
meet  us  in  the  prophetical  books.  These  glosses  were  incorporated 
into  the  text  itself  by  later  copyists.  4  ^-6.  The  second  stanza  pre- 
sents the  sun,  Shemesh,  i.  e.,  the  divine  power  behind  the  sun, 
whose  house  is  in  the  heavens.  The  morning  sun  is  like  a 
bridegroom  coming  out  of  his  abode  in  his  joyousness  and 
beauty.  He  is  like  the  famous  warriors,  as  of  David's  staff, 
mighty  to  run  great  distances  as  to  fight  valiantly.  He 
oversees  and  inspects  the  whole  world  from  east  to  west; 
which,  by  the  way,  was  the  line  of  extension  of  the  known 
world  of  the  Hebrew;  and  nothing  is  hid  from  the  sun  (hamah) 
i.  e.,  the  visible  orb  or  disc  of  the  sun,  distinguished  from 
Shemesh,  the  unseen  god  behind  the  sun.  7-14.  This  praise 
of  the  Law  is  a  later  addition,  of  an  entirely  different  metre, 
with  a  different  vocabulary,  evidently  late,  belonging  to  the 
legal  period,  and  the  revision  that  followed  the  reforms  of 
Ezra  in  the  4th  cent.  B.  C.  Apparently  there  was  some 
sense  of  uneasiness  about  the  theology  of  this  Psalm,  which 
was  corrected  by  showing  that  the  teaching  of  God  in  His 
physical  universe  was  only  an  introduction  to  His  fuller 
teaching  in  the  Law.  The  combination  of  the  two  makes 
a  composition  of  great  ethical  as  well  as  poetical  beauty. 
7-9.  This  stanza  is  in  general  character  like  the  stanzas  of 
Ps.  119,  except  that  the  latter  have  eight  lines  each  and  eight 
terms  for  the  Law,  this  six.  Some  of  the  terms  here  used  are 
peculiar  to  the  later  period,  others,  like  fear  of  the  Lord, 
ancient.  The  Torah  or  Law,  the  Five  Books  of  Moses,  has 
become  the  special  revelation  of  God,  the  objective  of  religion. 
Ultimately   it   came  to    be    regarded    as    a    separate    entity,    an 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  141 

original  element  of  creation.  Giving  life,  literally  restoring, 
i.  e.,  sustaining  life.  Life  is  in  the  word  of  God.  Faithful 
i.  e.,  reliable,  in  which  one  may  confidently  believe.  Right,  i.  e., 
equitable,  commending  themselves  to  heart  and  mind.  These 
three  constitute  what  we  may  perhaps  call  the  ethical,  the 
three  following  the  ritual  half  of  the  Law,  cleanness  and  right- 
eousness. Righteous  altogether,  i.  e.,  observance  of  the  Law 
is  the  entire  substance  of  right  religion.  These  six  verses  in 
a  long  metre,  with  an  unequal  division  of  each  verse  into  two 
parts,  a  longer  and  a  shorter,  used  in  Lamentations,  and  com- 
monly known  as  the  keenaJi  or  lament,  are,  10,  11,  followed  by 
another  stanza  of  six  lines,  the  first  four  almost  breathless  in  their 
haste,  the  last  two  slowing  to  a  pause,  proclaiming  the  value  and 
sweetness  of  the  Law,  and  setting  forth  the  legal  doctrine  of  a 
great  reward  as  a  result  of  its  observance.  It  is  a  very  lovely 
picture  of  the  joy  and  beauty  of  the  legal  religion  as  the  Jew  saw 
and  practised  it.^ 

With  verse   10  compare  the  following  fragment  of  a  Baby- 
lonian hymn: 

"Sing  the  song  of  the  queen  of  the  gods; 
Attend,  comrades,  give  ear,  warriors. 
To  Sing  to  Mama  is  better  than  honey  and  wine, 
Better  than  honey  and  wine, 
Better  than  dates  ^  and  figs, 
Better  than  the  purest  of  pure  butter, 
Better  than  dates  and  figs." 

12,  13.  This  constitutes  what  may  possibly  have  been  the 
sacrificial  element  in  the  Psalm.  Secret  Sins,  i.  e.,  unwitting 
sins  (cf.  Lev.  4^),  which  even  the  best  intentioned  may 
commit;  and  over  against  these  the  conscious  trespass,  which 
unatoned  damns  the  man  (Gen.  4^-  Against  these  man  must 
guard,  and  from  them  be  cleansed  by  sacrifice;  and  we  close 
with  the  prayer  that  (14)  this  liturgy  may  be  acceptable 
(reson),  literally  an  acceptable  offering,  the  late  technical  name 
for  the  offering  acceptable  to  Yahaweh. 

The  metrical  composition  of  this  liturgy  is  elaborate.  The 
first  part  in  two  equal  stanzas  of  four  lines  each,  parallel 
two  and  two.     The  second  part  in  threes  and  sixes,  but  with 


1  Cf .   Peters,  Religion  of  the  Hebrews,  chaps.  XXVIII,  XXIV. 

2  As.  Hananabu,  some  sort  of  fruit. 


142 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


simple  parallelism  of  half  verse  to  half  verse,  as  in  the  first  part; 
except  for  the  single  closing  line,  which  stands  by  itself,  as  often 
in  Hebrew  psalmody. 


XX 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


THE    Lord    hear    thee     in     the 
day  of   trouble ;   the   name   of 
the  God  of  Jacob  defend  thee; 

2  Send  thee  help  from  the  sanc- 
tuary, and  strengthen  thee  out  of 
Zion; 

3  Remember  all  thy  offerings, 
and  accept  thy  burnt  sacrifice ;  Se- 
lah. 

4  Grant  thee  according  to  thine 
own  heart,  and  fulfil  all  thy  coun- 
sel. 

5  We  will  rejoice  in  thy  salva- 
tion, and  in  the  name  of  our  God 
we  will  set  up  our  banners :  the 
Lord    fulfil    all    thy    petitions. 

6  Now  know  I  that  the  Lord 
saveth  his  anointed ;  he  will  hear 
him  from  his  holy  heaven  with 
the  saving  strength  of  his  right 
hand. 

7  Some  trust  in  chariots,  and 
some  in  horses :  but  we  will  re- 
member the  name  of  the  Lord 
our   God. 

8  They  are  brought  down  and 
fallen :  but  we  are  risen,  and 
stand  upright. 

9  Save,  Lord:  let  the  king  hear 
us   when   we   call. 


1.  The  Lord  answer  thee  in  the 

day  of  need, 
The  name  of  the  Goo  of  Jacob 
uphold  thee; 

2.  Send     thee     help     from     the 

sanctuary. 
And  support  thee  from  Zion; 

3.  Remember  all  thine  oblations, 
And    accept    thy    burnt    offer- 
ing. 

Selah. 

4.  He    giveth    after    thy    heart's 

desire, 
And   fulfilleth  all  thy  plans. 

5.  Let    us    be    jubilant    in    Thy 

victory, 

And  in  the  name  of  our  God 
raise    the    standard. 

The  Lord  fulfilleth  all  thy  re- 
quests. 

6.  Now    I    know    that    the    Lord 

hath     given     His     anointed 
victory ; 
He   answereth   him    from    His 
holy  heaven  with  the  saving 
strength  of  His  right  hand. 

7.  These    trust    in    chariots,    and 

these  in  horses. 
But   we   war  in   the  name  of 
the  Lord,  our  God. 

8.  They    are    bowed    down    and 

fallen, 
We  have  risen  and  stand  up- 
right. 

9.  Lord,   save  the  king! 

And  answer  us  when  we  calll 


Battle  Hymn 

This  was  a  liturgy  to  be  used  in  connection  with  the  royal 
sacrifices  and  the  consultation  of  the  oracle  before  a  battle. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  143 

1,  The  name  played  an  extremely  important  part  among 
the  Hebrews,  as  among  many  primitive  peoples  to  this  day. 
To  know  the  real  name  of  a  person,  or  of  a  spirit,  was  to 
exercise  a  certain  power  over  that  person  or  spirit.  The  name 
of  God  was  a  power  to  protect  His  people.  The  priestly 
blessing  was  putting  the  name  of  God  upon  the  people.  Here 
Yahaweh  and  the  name  of  the  God  of  Jacob  are  synonyms 
in  parallel  lines.  2.  His  earthly  abode,  to  which  the  appeal 
for  victory  is  addressed,  is  His  sanctuary  or  holy  place  on 
Zion,  to  which  He  is  summoned  by  sacrifice.  His  true  resi- 
dence is  in  heaven  (v.  6).  3.  The  sacrifice  offered  was  the 
whole  burnt,  accompanied  as  always  by  a  minhah  (oblation), 
i.  e.,  a  grain  offering.  The  word  here  rendered  accept  seems 
to  indicate  that  the  offering  is  adjudged  acceptable,  of  good 
omen.  These  three  verses  constitute  the  appeal  before  the  fire 
is  applied,  and  the  selah  following  indicates  the  point  at  which 
the  praise  cry  is  to  be  raised  as  the  fire  appears.  4.  Then 
the  priest  gives  the  favorable  oracle,  the  granting  of  the 
king's  desire,  that  is  for  victory,  and  the  success  of  his  battle 
plan.  5.  Then  the  cry  of  jubilation  in  the  expectation  of 
victory,  and  the  raising  of  the  royal  standard  in  the  name  of 
God;  for  all  war  was  holy  and  waged  in  the  name  of  God. 
This  is  followed  by  a  repetition  of  the  favorable  oracle.  6.  In 
response,  the  assurance  by  or  for  the  king,  the  anointed,  as  in 
Psalm  18,  of  confidence,  through  the  oracle,  of  victory  by  the 
direct  intervention  of  Yahaweh  from  heaven.  Saving  strength, 
perhaps  better  victorious  prowess.  7,  8.  There  follows  an 
outbursts  of  psalmody,  contrasting  the  heathen,  who  do  not, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  Yahaweh  worshippers,  worship  God,  but 
trust  only  in  their  horses  and  chariots,  with  those  who  war 
in  the  name  of  God,  i.  e.,  Yahaweh;  literally,  remember,  i.  e., 
make  offerings  to  Him.  9.  The  whole  is  ended  by  a  repetition 
in  another  form  of  the  opening  petition,  now  a  confident  appeal 
for  victory.     Save  the  king,  i.  e.,  give  him  victory. 

In  the  legendary  history  this  was  the  Psalm  with  which 
St.  Patrick  withstood  and  overcame  the  Druids  at  the  feast 
of  Tara,  When  in  1085  Alfonzo  the  Valiant  drove  the  Moors 
from  Toledo  the  Christians  refused  to  enter  the  flooded  Tagus 
till  Abbot  Adeline  rode  in  on  an  ass  chanting  the  7th  verse 
of  this  Psalm.  The  British  national  anthem  is  based  on  the 
9th  verse  of  this  Psalm,  with  the  first  verse  of  Ps.  68. 


144 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


XXI 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


THE  king  shall  joy  in  thy 
strength,  O  Lord;  and  in  thy 
salvation  how  greatly  shall  he  re- 
joice! 

2  Thou  hast  given  him  his 
heart's  desire,  and  hast  not  with- 
holden  the  request  of  his  lips. 
Selah. 

3  For  thou  preventest  him  with 
the  blessings  of  goodness:  thou 
settest  a  crown  of  pure  gold 
on   his   head. 

4  He  asked  life  of  thee,  and 
thou  gavest  it  him,  even  length 
of  days  for  ever  and  ever. 

5  His  glory  is  great  in  thy  sal- 
vation:  honour  and  majesty  hast 
thou   laid  upon  him. 

6  For  thou  hast  made  him  most 
blessed  for  ever:  thou  hast  made 
him  exceeding  glad  with  thy  coun- 
tenance. 

7  For  the  king  trusteth  in  the 
Lord,  and  through  the  mercy  of 
the  Most  High  he  shall  not  be 
moved. 

8  Thine  hand  shall  find  out  all 
thine  enemies:  thy  right  hand  shall 
find   out  those  that  hate  thee. 

9  Thou  shalt  make  them  as  a 
fiery  oven  in  the  time  of  thine 
anger:  the  Lord  shall  swallow 
them  up  in  his  wrath,  and  the 
fire  shall  devour  them. 

10  Their  fruit  shalt  thou  de- 
stroy from  the  earth,  and  their 
seed  from  among  the  children  of 
men. 

11  For  they  intended  evil  against 
thee:  they  imagined  a  mischievous 
device,  ivhich  they  are  not  able  to 
perform. 

12  Therefore  shalt  thou  make 
them  turn  their  back,  zuhcn  thou 
shalt  make  ready  thine  arrozvs 
upon  thy  strings  against  the  face 
of  them. 

13  Be  thou  exalted,  Lord,  in 
thine  own  strength :  so  will  we 
sing  and  praise  thy  power. 


1.  Oh  Lord,  in  Thy  strength  the 

king  rejoiceth; 
And     in     Thy     salvation     he 
greatly  exulteth. 

2.  His  heart's   desire   Thou  gav- 

est  him, 
And   didst   not   refuse  the   re- 
quest  of    his    lips.     Selah. 

3.  For_  Thou   didst   prevent   him 

with    goodly    spoil ; 
Thou   preparedst    a   crown    of 
fine   gold    for  his   head. 

4.  Life  he  asked  of  Thee;  Thou 

gavest  him 
Length     of     days     for     ever 
and    aye. 

5.  Great   his   glory   through   Thy 

salvation, 
Praise  and  honor  Thou  layest 
upon    him. 

6.  For  Thou  makest  him  blessed 

for  ever, 
Thou    cheerest    him    with    icy 
before   Thee. 

7.  For   the   king   trusteth   in   the 

Lord, 
And     by    the     grace     of     the 
Highest    he    is    unmoved. 

8.  Thine  hand  findeth  all  Thy  foes, 
Thy  right' hand  findeth  Thy 
haters. 

9.  Thou   puttest  them   in   a   fur- 

nace  of  fire ; 
The   Lord  in   His   anger  con- 
sumeth   them. 

10.  Their     fruit    Thou    destroyest 

from  earth, 
And  their  seed  from  the  sons 
of   men. 

11.  For  they  planned  evil  against 

Thee, 
Devised    guile    that    they   can- 
not perform 

12.  For     thou     puttest     them     to 

flight   before   Thee 
With  thine  arrows  Thou  aim- 
est  at  their  face. 

13.  Be  exalted, Lord,  inThj  strength, 
Let    us    sing   and   praise    Thy 

prowess. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  145 

Thanksgiving  After  Victory 

A  companion  liturgy  to  the  preceding  and  so  (1,  2)  the 
wording  of  the  first  stanza  connects  with  the  preceding  Psalm. 
This  is  the  preliminary  to  the  sacrifice,  and,  as  in  the  preceding 
Psalm,  the  place  for  the  sacrifice  of  vows  and  thank  offerings 
and  the  praise  cries  connected  therewith  is  indicated  by  the 
selah  following.  3-7.  This  stanza  tells  of  the  royal  blessing 
through  Yahaweh,  who  has  given  the  king  much  spoil,  includ- 
ing fine  gold  for  a  crown.  Presumably  some  of  the  booty  here 
celebrated  was  given  to  the  Temple  in  connection  with  the 
vows  and  thank  offerings.  Always  God  has  given  more 
abundantly;  for  life,  long  life,  which  is  all  that  is  meant  by 
ever  and  aye.  Not  only  does  the  king  receive  the  sacramental 
blessing,  when  the  name  of  Yahaweh  is  put  upon  the  departing 
worshippers,  but  he  has  perpetual  blessing,  for  he  is  ever 
before  His  face ;  a  reference  to  the  relation  of  Temple  and 
palace.  Because  of  His  faithful  service  of  Yahaweh,  he  is 
invincible.  8-12.  Then  follows  a  long  stanza  of  praise  to 
Yahaweh,  who  is  represented  not  only  as  the  giver  of  vic- 
tory, but,  as  in  Egyptian  inscriptions,  anthropomorphically,  as 
actually  fighting  with  hand  and  weapons.  Not  content  with 
the  overthrow  of  the  enemy,  whose  war  with  Judah  was  a 
futile  war  with  Him,  he  destroys  their  dead  bodies  with 
fire,  and  blots  out  their  race  by  the  slaughter  of  their  children, 
the  typical  ancient  picture  of  a  root  and  branch  victory. 
9  and  12,  the  text  of  which  is  slightly  corrupt,  have  been  emended 
by  comparison  with  one  another.  13.  The  Psalm  ends  with  an 
ascription  of  praise. 

XXII 

To  the  chief  Musician  upon  Aijeleth   Shahar,   A  Psalm  of  David. 


MY  God,  my  God,  why  hast 
thou  forsaken  me?  why  art 
thou  so  far  from  helping  me, 
and  from  the  words  of  my  roar- 
ing? 

2  O  my  God,  I  cry  in  the  day- 
time, but  thou  hearest  not;  and  in 
the  night  season,  and  am  not  si- 
lent. 

3  But  thou  art  holy,  O  thou  that 
inhabitest    the    praises    of    Israel. 

4  Our  fathers  trusted  in  thee: 
they  trusted,  and  thou  didst  de- 
liver them. 


1.  My  God,    my    God,    why    hast 

Thou    forsaken   me, 
Art   far   from   helping   me   at 
the  words  of  my  groaning? 

2.  My    God,    I    cry    by    day,    and 

Thou  answerest  not. 
By    night    also,    and    have    no 
respite. 

3.  But   Thou,   Holy   One, 
Inhabiting    the   praises    of    Is- 
rael, 

4.  On  Thee  our  fathers  trusted; 
They  trusted,  and  Thou  didst 

deliver  them, 


146 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


5  They  cried  unto  thee,  and 
were  delivered:  they  trusted  in 
thee,   and   were  not   confounded. 

6  But  I  am  a  worm,  and  no 
man;  a  reproach  of  men,  and 
despised  of  the  people. 

7  All  they  that  see  me  laufh 
me  to  scorn:  they  shoot  out  the 
hp,    they    shake    the    head,    saying, 

8  He  trusted  on  the  Lord  that 
he  would  deliver  him:  let  him 
deliver  him,  seeing  he  delighted 
in  him. 

9  But  thou  art  he  that  took 
me  out  of  the  womb :  thou  didst 
make  me  hope  zvhen  I  was  upon 
my  mother's  breasts. 

10  I  was  cast  upon  thee  from 
the  womb:  thou  art  my  God  from 
my    mother's    belly. 

11  Be  not  far  from  m.e;  for 
trouble  ts  near;  for  there  is  none 
to  help. 

12  Many  bulls  have  compassed 
me:  strong  bulls  of  Bashan  have 
beset  me  round. 


6. 


13  They  gaped  upon  me  with 
their  mouths,  as  a  ravening  and 
a  roaring  Hon. 

14  I  am  poured  out  like  water, 
and  all  my  bones  are  out  of 
joint:  my  heart  is  like  wax;  it  i'; 
melted  in  the  midst  of  my  bowels' 

15  My  strength  is  dried  up  like 
a  potsherd ;  and  my  tongue  cleav- 
eth  to  my  jaws;  and  thou  hast 
brought  me  into  the  dust  of 
death. 

16  For  dogs  have  compassed  me: 
the  assembly  of  the  wicked  have 
inclosed  me:  they  pierced  my 
hands   and   my   feet. 

17  I    may    tell    all     my    bones: 
they   look  and   stare   upon   me. 


10. 

11. 

12. 
13. 

14. 

15. 
16. 


17. 


To  Thee  they  cried,  and  were 

holpen ; 
On    Thee    they    trusted,    and 

were  not   confounded. 

But    I    am    a    worm    and    no 

man. 

The    scorn    of    men,    and    de- 
spised of  the  world- 
All  that  see  me  mock  at  me. 
Shoot    out    the    lip    and    wag 
the     head : 

"Turn   to   the   LordI   let   Him 

deliver  him, 
Rescue     him     if     He     favots 

him." 

For    Thou    drewest    me    from 

the    womb, 
Gavest  me  hope  on  my  mother's 

breasts ; 

On    Thee    was    I    cast    from 

the    birth. 
From   my   mother's   womb   my 

God   art   Thou. 
Be     not     far     from     me,     for 

trouble 
Is  nigh,   for  none  helpeth. 

Many    steers    surrounded    me, 
Bulls     of     Bashan     beset     me 
around ; 

There    gaped    upon    me    with 

their  mouth 
Ravening    and    roaring    lions. 
Like   water   I   am   poured   out, 
And  all  my  bones  are  out  of 

joint; 
My  heart  is  become  like  wax. 
Melted  within  my  breast ; 

My   strength   is   dried   up  like 
a  potsherd, 

And  my  tongue  cleaveth  to  my 
jaws. 

And  Thou  bringest  me  into  the 

dust  of  death. 
For  dogs  have  surrounded  me, 
A  mob  of  the  wicked  hemmed 

me  in ; 
They   rent   my  hands   and   my 

feet; 
I  count  all  my  bones; 
They  stare,  they  gaze  upon  me. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


147 


18  They  part  my  garments 
among  them,  and  cast  lots  upon 
my  vesture. 

19  But  be  not  thou  far  from 
me,  O  Lord:  O  my  strength,  haste 
thee  to  help  me. 

20  Deliver  my  soul  from  the 
sword ;  my  darling  from  the  pow- 
er of  the  dog. 

21  Save  me  from  the  lion's 
mouth:  for  thou  hast  heard  me 
from  the  horns  of  the  unicorns. 

22  I  will  declare  thy  name  unto 
my  brethren :  in  the  midst  of  the 
congregation  will  I  praise  thee. 

23  Ye  that  fear  the  Lord,  praise 
him ;  all  ye  the  seed  of  Jacob, 
glorify  him ;  and  fear  him,  all  ye 
the   seed  of   Israel. 

24  For  he  hath  not  despised  nor 
abhorred  the  affliction  of  the  af- 
flicted; neither  hath  he  hid  his 
face  from  him ;  but  when  he  cried 
unto  him,  he  heard. 

25  My  praise  shall  be  of  thee 
in  the  great  congregation :  I  will 
pay  my  vows  before  them  that  fear 
him. 

26  The  meek  shall  eat  and  bt 
satisfied :  they  shall  praise  the 
Lord  that  seek  him :  your  heart 
shall  live  for  ever. 

27  All  the  ends  of  the  world 
shall  remember  and  turn  unto  the 
Lord  :  and  all  the  kindreds  of  the 
nations   shall   worship   before  thee. 

28  For  the  kingdom  is  the 
Lord's  and  he  is  the  governor 
among  the  nations. 

29  All  they  that  be  fat  upon 
earth  shall  eat  and  worship :  all 
they  that  go  down  to  the  dust 
shall  bow  before  him :  and  none 
can   keep   alive   his    own    soul. 

30  A  seed  shall  serve  him ;  it 
shall  be  accounted  to  the  Lord 
for    a    generation. 

31  They  shall  come,  and  shall 
declare  his  righteousness  unto  a 
people  that  shall  be  born,  that  he 
hath  done  this. 


18.  They  part  my  garments  among 

them. 
And  for  my  vesture  they  cast 
lots. 

19.  But  Lord,  Thou,  be  not  far  off ; 
My  sacrifice,  haste  to  my  help. 

20.  Deliver     my     life     from     the 

sword, 
From   the   hand   of    the    dogs, 
my  darling ; 

21.  Save     me     from     the     lion's 

mouth. 
And     from     the     wild     bull's 
horns  me,  miserable. 

22.  I  would  tell  Thy  name  to  my 

brethren, 
In  the  midst  of  the  congrega- 
tion praise   Thee. 

23.  Ye  that  fear  the  Lord,  praise 

Him ; 
Magnify  Him,  all  ye  seed  of 

Jacob ; 
And  have  Him  in  awe,  all  ye 

seed   of    Israel. 

24.  For   He   spurned   not   nor   ab- 

horred the  need  of  the  needy, 
And    hid    not    His    face    away 

from  him, 
But    when    he    cried    to    Him, 

He  hearkened. 

25.  From   Thee  my  praise  in  the 

great  congregation; 
My  vows  I  render  before  them 

that   fear  Him ; 
The  needy  eat  and  are  filled. 

26.  Let  those  that  seek  Him  praise 

the  Lord. 
Long  life  be  unto  you ! 

27.  All  ends  of  the  earth  turn  to 

the  Lord  and  worship. 
And  all   tribes  of   the  nations 
bow  down  before  Him. 

28.  For  the  kingdom  is  the  Lord's, 

who   ruleth   over  all. 
All  the  rich  of  the  earth  have 
eaten  and  worshipped ; 

29.  .All  that  go  down  to  the  dust 

bow  before  Him. 
31.    They    come    and    declare    His 
righteousness ; 
To  folk  unborn  what  He  hath 
done. 


148  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Trespass  Offering 

The  heading  of  this  Psahn,  as  it  has  come  down  in  our 
Hebrew  texts,  is  "on  the  (female)  sheep  of  the  dawn."  In 
the  Levitical  sacrificial  codes  we  find  a  female  sheep  (or 
goat)  especially  prescribed  for  certain  forms  of  sin  and  tres- 
pass offerings  (Lev.  4^^'^',  5^'®).  Females  might  be  offered 
as  well  as  males  in  all  peace  offerings,  but  females  were  especially 
prescribed  for  individual  trespass  offerings.  A  very  slight  change 
in  the  letters  of  shahar,  dawn,  would  give  us  asham,  trespass 
offering.  I  think  the  heading  was  originally  on  the  sheep  of  the 
trespass  offering,  i.  e.,  the  liturgy  to  be  used  on  occasion  of  the 
offering  of  a  female  sheep  or  goat  as  a  trespass  offering. 

1,  2.  This  is  the  lament,  in  character  similar  to  the  be- 
ginning of  many  other  Psalms,  of  the  one  in  need,  from  whom 
God  seems  far  away.  Here,  as  in  several  of  the  preceding 
Psalms,  God  is  addressed  first  by  the  ancient  common  title  of 
deity,  El.  The  Greek  text  reads,  El,  my  El,  which  may  be  more 
original  than  the  Hebrew,  Aly  El,  my  El.  As  used  on  the 
cross  by  Jesus  (Matt.  27",  Mk.  15'*)  the  opening  cry  was 
translated  into  the  Aramaic  (Eloi  for  El,  sahachtani  for  asah- 
tani),  the  common  speech  of  the  Jews  of  that  day.  In  the 
second  verse  we  have  the  name  Elohim,  more  especially  the 
personal  name  of  the  God  of  Israel.  It  should  be  noted  that 
in  these  earlier  Psalms  of  the  old  Davidic  psalm  book,  while 
Yahaweh  is  par  excellence  the  name,  it  is  not  so  exclusively 
used  as  in  the  later  Judean  Psalter.  3-5.  Then  follows  the 
appeal  to  God  by  the  title  which  Isaiah  so  loved,  and  which 
was  a  part  of  the  regular  use  of  the  Jerusalem  Temple  (Is.  6  ^), 
Holy.  He  is  also  described  as  inhabiting  the  praises  of  Israel, 
i.  e.  His  presence  was  invoked  by  the  sacrifices  and  sacri- 
ficial praise  songs,  and  in  them  He  came  to  His  earthly  temple. 
Precisely  the  same  thought  is  expressed  in  the  Persian  Gathas. 
This  is  followed  by  the  appeal,  so  common  in  Hebrew  writings 
from  the  earliest  time  on,  to  the  memories  of  the  wonderful 
deliverance  of  the  days  of  the  fathers  and  His  answer  to  their 
supplications.  6-8.  The  contrast  with  the  present,  the  misery  of 
the  suppliant  and  the  contempt  shown  for  him  by  all,  ending  in 
mockery  of  his  claim  to  the  special  favor  of  a  supremely 
powerful  God,  Yahaweh.  In  thought,  but  not  in  language,  Is. 
53  reminds  of  vv.  6,  7.  9-11.  Then  a  very  tender  appeal  to 
his  God  (El),  as  one  who  has  been  a  father  to  him,  his  begetter 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  149 

in  the  womb,  who  received  him  on  His  knee  at  birth,  who  put 
him  to  his  mother's  breasts ;  another  form  of  the  appeal  to  the 
ancient   deHverances,    as    in    vv.    3-5.       12-18.       In    Penitential 
Psalms   appeals  and   laments    regularly   alternate.      This   stanza 
is  the  long,  culminating  lament  before  the  final  appeal.     He  is 
like    one   beset    by    the    dangerous    wild    cattle,    creatures    now 
extinct,  and  by  lions.     The  fear  of  death  upon  him  in  conse- 
quence is  vividly  described  in  four  figures  more  or  less  common 
in  Hebrew  literature:    (a)   the  sense  of  dissolution,  like  water 
poured  out;  (b)    the  palsy  of  the  joints;    (c)   the  melting  of 
the  heart;  (d)  the  drying  up  of  the  juices  of  the  body;  (e)  the 
parching  of  the  mouth,  so  that  he  seems  already  to  be  eating 
the  dust,  the  food  of   the  dead.     Then  another  picture  of  his 
state,  hemmed  in  by  a  mob  of  his  foes,  like  one  surrounded  and 
attacked    by    the    packs    of  wild    dogs,    the    scavengers    of    the 
country;   a   plight   to   the   inconvenience   and    serious   peril    of 
which   the   present  writer   can    testify.      They   snap    and    snarl 
about,   tear  his  hands   and   feet,  and  in   his   efforts   to   protect 
himself   he   is   made  conscious  of   every  bone  in  his   body  by 
its  soreness.    About  him  stands  this  mob  of  foes,  watching  their 
opportunity.     They  are  like  the  common  robbers  of  the  coun- 
try; they  beat  him  and  leave  him  for  dead,  stripping  him  of 
his    clothing,    dividing    it   up  among   them.      19-21.     The    final 
appeal,  harking  back  to  the  figures  used  in  the  last  lament,  of 
dogs,    lions    and    wild    cattle,    and    ending    with    the    familiar 
designation  of  himself  as  suppliant,  as  poor  or  miserable.    Sac- 
rifice in  19  is  the  same  word  used  in  the  heading  for  the  object 
of  sacrifice,  and  seems  to  be  an  appeal  to  Yahaweh  to  aid  him 
in  or  because  of  this  sacrifice.     Darling  (20)   is  a  very  inade- 
quate rendering    of   the    Hebrew    original,    which,    placed    in 
parallelism    with    life,    is    intended    to    designate    that    as    the 
supremely  prized  treasure.     Apparently  at  this  point  the  sacrifice 
was  offered  in  the  usual  form  and  with  the  usual  accompaniments, 
and  folloAving  its  acceptance  (22-26  ^)  the  usual  hymn  of  jubila- 
tion, thanksgiving  and  triumph.     He  would  have  all  know  and 
glorify  the  name  of  Yahaweh,  to  which  the  Deity  hearkens  and 
responds,  although  the  suppliant  be  poor  and  needy.    It  is  through 
Yahaweh's  grace  that  he  can  now  sing  the  praise  songs  in  the 
congregation,  offer  the  sacrifices  vowed,  and  make  the  sacrificial 
feast  of  which  the  needy,  i.  e.,  the  faithful,  shall  now  eat  their 
fill.    26 ''.  The  last  half  of  this  verse  is  in  the  fcrm  of  the  usual 
benediction  at  the  close  of  such  liturgies,  and  I  fancy  that  the 


150  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

original  Psalm  closed  here.  27-29*,  31.  These  verses  are  in 
a  quite  different  metre,  and  appear  to  deal  with  a  different  theme, 
namely  the  extension  of  Yahaweh's  kingdom  over  all  the  world, 
so  that  all  nations  shall  worship  Him,  a  common  thought  of  the 
prophets,  founding  on  the  Davidic  triumphs.  The  rich  (29), 
literally  fat  ones,  are  the  non  Israelites.  The  latter  are  the  poor 
and  needy.  The  parallel  line,  all  that  go  down  to  the  dust,  means 
all  mortals.  These  shall  not  only  tell  the  rightness  of  His  deal- 
ings, but  proclaim  it  to  further  ages.  What  He  hath  done, 
literally,  for  He  did  it.  I  fancy  that  this  little  hymn  was  a  later 
addition  to  the  original  liturgy.  As  it  has  come  down  to  us 
this  is  interrupted  by  three  phrases,  29*^'  30,  in  which  is  used 
the  late  form  of  the  divine  name.  Lord  (Adonai),  constituting 
an  explanatory  gloss  on  the  words  "all  that  go  down  to  the 
dust  bow  before  Him,  they  come  and  declare  His  righteous- 
ness to  a  folk  unborn."  What  does  this  mean?  Of  course  the 
dead  cannot  do  this,  for  none  quickeneth  himself.  It  means 
that  their  seed  (i.e.  their  descendants)  shall  serve  Him,  shall  tell 
of  the  Lord  to  the  ages. 

In  the  later  ritual,  as  recorded  in  Leviticus,  the  female  sheep, 
or  goat  was  to  be  offered  as  a  trespass  or  sin  offering  only  for 
the  common  Israelite,  not  for  ruler,  priest  or  people.  Under 
those  terms,  if  my  interpretation  of  the  heading  and  of  v.  20 
be  correct,  this  could  only  have  been  a  liturgy  for  the  trespass 
offering  of  a  common  citizen;  but  from  what  we  know  of 
the  development  of  sacrifices  I  fancy  that  this  was  not  the 
case  in  earlier  times,  but  that  the  female  sheep  was  the  original 
form  of  the  trespass  offering;  and  that  the  peace  offering  ele- 
ment, or  community  feasting,  in  those  sacrifices,  confined  by  the 
later  rule  to  the  priests  (cf.  Lev.  6,  7),  was  in  the  earlier  use 
more  extensive  (hence  v.  26).  Clearly  this  Hturgy  was  for  the 
sin  or  trespass  offering  of  a  ruler,  whose  affairs  affected  the 
whole  nation.  It  was  trespass  of  the  ruler  which  brought  calam- 
ity on  the  nation,  as  in  the  story  of  David  and  the  plague. 
Illness  of  the  ruler,  like  that  of  Hezekiah  (Is.  38),  was  sim- 
ilarly a  national  calamity,  depriving  the  people  of  leadership, 
heartening  and  giving  opportunity  to  foes.  Each  nation  was 
the  enemy  of  all,  and  all  sought  to  profit  by  the  calamity  of 
each.  So  each  was  plotting  and  planning,  not  only  by  open 
and  material  force,  but  still  more  by  secret  means,  by  its  gods 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


151 


and  its  enchantments,  to  bring  calamity  on  the  rulers  ^  of  the 
others.  Hence  the  picture  in  this  liturgy  of  the  plans  and 
plottings  of  the  mobs  of  evil  men,  of  bulls  and  lions  and  dogs 
who  surround  him,  in  connection  with  the  sickness  or  calam- 
ity for  which  this  trespass  offering  was  offered. 

In  the  Christian  Church  this  was  from  early  times  the 
greatest  of  penitential  hymns,  assigned  to  Good  Friday,  More 
vividly,  if  possible,  than  the  Gospels  it  described  the  crucifixion, 
even  to  its  details.  No  wonder  that  it  was  regarded  as  a 
prophecy  of  that  event.  Moreover,  it  was  quoted  by  Jesus 
on  the  cross;  a  quotation,  by  the  way,  which  is  often  misunder- 
stood as  a  cry  of  pessimism,  whereas,  far  from  it,  it  was  an 
application  by  Jesus,  not  merely  of  the  first  words  of  the 
Psalm,  but  of  the  whole  Psalm  to  himself.  More  pessimisti- 
cally this  Psalm  was  used  by  Richard  Lion  Heart  when,  de- 
serted by  his  companions,  his  crusade  ended  in  failure.  It  is 
the  received  translation  of  the  21st  verse  of  this  Psalm  which 
gave  the  lion  and  the  unicorn  to  the  British  royal  coat  of  arms. 

XXIII 

A   Psalm   of   David. 


THE    Lord    is    my    shepherd,    I        1. 
shall  not  want. 

2  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in 
green  pastures ;  he  leadeth  me 
beside   the   still   waters. 

3  He  restoreth  my  soul ;  he 
leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  right- 
eousness for  his  name's  sake. 

4  Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I 
will  fear  no  evil ;  for  thou  art 
with  me ;  thy  rod  and  thy  staff 
they  comfort  me. 

5  Thou  preparest  a  table  before 
me  in  the  presence  of  mine  enemies : 
thou  anointest  my  head  with  oil ; 
my  cup  runneth  over. 

6  Surely  goodness  and  mercy 
shall  follow  me  all  the  days  of  my 
life;  and  I  will  dwell  in  the  house 
of  the  Lord  for  ever, 

^  Compare  the  enchantments  and  charms  by  which  the  Indians  strove 
to  overcome  and  expel  the  Pilgrims,  whom  they  did  not  dare  openly 
to  attack. 


6. 


The   Lord   is   my   shepherd,    I 

lack  not. 

In  green  pastures  He  maketh 

me  lie; 
To  wateringplacesHe  leadeth  me, 
He  refresheth  me. 
He  guideth  me  in  right  paths. 
For   His   name's   sake. 

Even  though  I  walk  in  the  vale 

of  deep  shadow, 
I  fear  no  ill ; 
For  Thou  art  with  me. 
Thy  club  and  Thy  staff,  they 

comfort  me. 

Thou   preparest   before    me   a 

table  in  the  presence  of  my 

foes; 
Thou   hast    anointed    my   head 

with  oil ;  my  cup  runneth  over . 
Only      goodness     and      mercy 

pursue  me  all  the  days  of  my 

life; 
And  I   dwell  in  the  house  of 

the  Lord  to  old  age. 


152  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Shepherd  Song 

1.  This  short  verse  constitutes  the  caption.  2-4.  These  verses 
are  the  Shepherd  Song.  The  eastern  shepherd  leads  his  sheep,  and 
I  have  seen  whole  flocks  following  their  shepherd  on  the  run  to 
avoid  some  danger,  as  of  a  hostile  raid.  It  is  a  beautiful  sight  to 
see  thousands  of  sheep,  preceded  by  their  shepherd  leader,  coming 
from  all  sides  toward  noon  to  the  water  stations,  pools,  or  in  Pales- 
tine more  often  wells.  These  the  good  shepherd  knows,  and 
he  pastures  his  sheep  within  range,  leading  them  gently  toward 
the  zvatering  place  through  the  morning;  and  after  the  refresh- 
ing drink,  back  to  the  pasturage  in  the  afternoon.  Any  one 
who  has  attempted  without  a  guide  to  traverse  the  Judean 
highland,  cut  and  seamed  with  deep  ravines,  will  appreciate  the 
meaning  of  guideth  in  right  paths.  For  lack  of  it  I  have  spent 
a  day  going  a  few  miles,  now  on  the  edge  of  a  precipice,  mak- 
ing a  great  detour  to  find  a  way  down,  now  at  the  bottom, 
almost  hopelessly  searching  back  and  forth  for  a  path,  usually 
a  sheep  track,  up  the  opposite  cliffs.  For  His  name's  sake 
breaks  the  figure  to  remind  the  hearer  of  that  of  which  it  is  the 
figure.  These  deep  ravines  are  fearsome,  and  often  of  ill 
repute,  as  such  modern  names  as  Robbers'  wadi  testify  to  this 
day;  but  the  sheep  seem  always  to  have  complete  confidence 
in  their  shepherds,  and  follow  them  unfalteringly.  Vale  of 
deep  shadow  was  early  interpreted,  by  a  grammatically  impos- 
sible vocalization  of  the  Hebrew  consonants,  valley  of  the  shadow 
of  death,  and  was  so  rendered  in  the  earliest  translations. 
Bunyan  in  his  Pilgrim's  Progress  made  this  meaning  specially 
precious  to  English-speaking  peoples.  The  shepherds  are  regu- 
larly armed  with  a  club  thrust  into  their  belts,  which  in  Meso- 
potamia consists  of  a  straight  stick  tipped  with  a  heavy  ball 
of  bitumen,  hard  as  rock,  a  really  formidable  weapon  at  close 
range.  They  commonly  carry  also  a  long  rod  or  staflf  in  their 
hands.  These  are  to  enable  them  both  to  protect  and  support 
themselves  and  their  sheep  in  need.  5-6.  These  verses  are  in  an 
entirely  different  metre,  of  the  same  nature  as  that  of  the  second 
part  of  Ps.  19,  pentameter  lines,  so  divided  as  to  consist  of  a 
longer  part  of  three,  followed  by  a  shorter  of  two  beats.  This 
pictures  the  condition  of  the  Temple  personnel,  safe  in  their  in- 
violable stronghold,  fed  abundantly  with  the  sacrificial  feasts  and 
libations,  in  the  very  presence  of  their  impotent  foes  God's  guests, 
their  heads  anointed  with  oil  by  so  generous  a  host  (Cf.  Am.  6  ^ 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


153 


Lk.  7^",  also  Ps.  133 -).  While  others  are  pursued  by  foes, 
their  only  pursuers  are  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God ;  and  while 
the  lives  of  others  are  cut  off  in  their  youth  by  violence,  they, 
in  the  safe  protection  of  Yahaweh's  house,  attain  to  a  ripe 
old  age. 

The  whole  constitutes  a  Temple  hymn,  singing  the  joy  and  the 
blessedness  of  service  in  the  Temple,  similar  in  so  far  to  Ps. 
5,  and  presumably  a  liturgy  for  some  similar  use.  It  is  tempt- 
ing to  suppose  that  the  Shepherd  Song  was  originally  a  song 
by  itself,  a  real  shepherd's  song,  turned  into  a  Temple  liturgy 
by  the  prefix  of  the  caption,  and  the  insertion  of  the  words  for 
His  name's  sake,  which  break  the  continuity  of  thought  between 
the  two  stanzas  of  that  song;  and  then  by  the  addition  of  the 
beautiful  hymn  on  the  Temple  life  in  an  entirely  different  metre, 
(We  have  in  fact,  as  pointed  out  in  the  Introduction,  liturgies  for 
shepherds  in  the  Babylonian  psalm  lists.)  We  should  in  that 
case  have  a  liturgy  similar  in  composition  to  Ps.  19;  but  in  this 
case  the  added  pentameter  hymn  is  .itself  early,  even  if  not  so 
primitive  as  the  original  Shepherd  Song, 

As  a  whole  the  Psalm  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
best  loved  in  the  entire  Psalter.  It  was  St.  Augustine's  Hymn 
of  Martyrs,  and  it  has  been  the  inspiration  of  countless  hymns 
and  poems. 

XXIV 

A   Psalm   of   David. 


THE  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  the 
fulness  thereof;  the  world,  and 
they  that  dwell  therein. 

2  For  he  hath  founded  it  upon  the 
seas,  and  established  it  upon  the 
floods. 

3  Who  shall  ascend  into  the  hill 
of  the  Lord?  or  who  shall  stand  in 
his  holy  place? 

4  He  that  hath  clean  hands,  and 
a  pure  heart;  who  hath  not  lifted 
up  his  soul  unto  vanity,  nor  sworn 
deceitfully. 

5  He  shall  receive  the  blessing 
from  the  Lord,  and  righteousness 
from   the   God  of   his   salvation. 


1.  To  the  Lord  belongs  the  earth 

and  its  fulness, 
The     world,     and     they     that 
dwell  therein ; 

2.  For  on  seas  He  founded  it. 
And    on    rivers    He    made    it 

firm. 

3.  Who  may  go  upon  the  hill  of 

the  Lord? 
And    who    may    stand    in    the 
place  of  His  holiness? 

4.  The  clean  of  hands  and  pure 

of  heart. 
That  hath  not  taken  His  name 

in  vain. 
And  hath  not  sworn  to  deceit; 

5.  He  taketh  a  blessing  from  the 

Lord, 
And    righteousness    from    the 
God  of  his  salvation. 


154 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


6  This  is  the  generation  of  them 
that  seek  him;  that  seek  thy  face, 
O  Jacob.     Selah. 


7  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates; 
and  be  ye  Hfted  up,  ye  everlasting 
doors;  and  the  King  of  glory  shall 
come  in. 


8  Who  is  this  King  of  glory? 
The  Lord  strong  and  mighty,  the 
Lord  mighty  in  battle. 


9  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates ; 
even  lift  them  up,  ye  everlasting 
doors ;  and  the  King  of  glory  shall 
come  in. 


10  Who  is  this  King  of  glory? 
The  Lord  of  hosts,  he  is  the  King 
of  glory.     Selah. 


6.  This  is  the  ilk  of  His  seekers. 
Who   behold   the   face   of   the 

God    of    Jacob.      Selah. 

7.  (First     Summons).       Lift    up 

your    heads,    ye   gates, 
And  be  ye  lift  up,  ye  ancient 

doors. 
That   the    King   of   glory   may 

come  in. 

8.  {Question).    Who  then  is  the 

King  of  glory? 
(Ansii'cr).      The    Lord    strong 

and  mighty ; 
The  Lord,  mighty  in  battle. 

9.  (Second   summons).     Lift    up 

your  heads,  ye  gates. 
And  be  ye  lift  up,  ye  ancient 

doors, 
That    the    King    of   glory   may 

come  in. 

10.     (Question).    Who  then,  is  the 
King  of  glory? 

(Answer) .  The  Lord  of  Hosts ; 
He  is  the  King  of  glory. 
Selah. 


Ark  Song 

1.  The  same  conception  of  a  claim  to  universal  dominion  of 
Yahaweh  which  we  find  in  Ps.  8,  and  in  the  early  story  of 
creation  (Gen.  2).  2.  The  same  cosmogony  as  in  Ps.  18:  the 
marvel  of  the  solid  earth  resting  firmly,  by  God's  miraculous 
power,  on  an  ocean  of  water,  as  proved  by  the  streams  and  foun- 
tains and  lakes  and  seas  that  come  up  from  beneath ;  a  common 
motive,  also  in  Babylonian  poetry.  This  ascription  of  praise 
to  Yahaweh  as  maker  and  master  of  the  world  was  sung,  I 
fancy,  by  the  priests  and  Levites  bearing  the  Ark  as  they  ap- 
proached Zion.  3.  Then  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  was  sung  the 
question  as  to  the  requirements  for  ascent  to  the  hill  of  the 
Lord,  and  residence  in  the  place  of  His  holiness,  the  familiar 
use  of  Holy  of  the  Jerusalem  Temple.  4,  5.  These  requirements 
are  the  same  as  in  Ps.  15,  but  differently  worded,  with  a 
similar  emphasis  on  truthfulness.  Apparently  the  same  phrase- 
ology is  used  as  in  the  third  Commandment  (Ex.  20),  slightly 
obscured  by  the  corruption  of  His  name  to  his  soul  in  the  trans- 
mitted  text.      Vanity  means   the   lie.     He   has   not   taken   the 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  155 

name  of  Yahaweh  to  the  lie,  as  explained  also  by  the  parallel 
line.  The  essence  of  the  religion  of  Yahaweh  on  the  ethical 
side  was  truth,  on  the  ritual  cleanness  or  holiness.  There  is 
a  similar  emphasis  on  these  two  essentials  in  the  Persian 
Gathas,  and  abhorrence  of  the  lie  is,  if  possible,  more  forcibly 
expressed  there  than  in  the  Hebrew  Psalms.  It  is  the  pos- 
sessors of  these  virtues  in  whose  favor  Yahaweh  gives  decision 
(righteousness),  intervening  to  give  them  victory  (salvation), 
and  over  whom  shall  be  pronounced  the  blessing  after  sacri- 
fice accepted  (Num.  6^*"^''),  an  implication  that  they  who  are 
returning  victorious  from  the  battle  by  the  help  of  Yahaweh 
possess  the  qualities  required.  They  are  the  sort  (ilk)  of  men 
who,  as  seekers  after  Him,  or  inquirers  of  His  oracles,  shall  see 
the  face  (following  the  Greek  text)  of  the  God  of  Jacob,  one  of 
the  ancient  names  already  noted.  The  selah  at  this  point  seems  to 
indicate  that  when  the  victorious  procession  reached  the  top  of  the 
hill  it  halted,  while  sacrifice  was  offered,  accompanied  by  an  out- 
burst of  trumpet  blasts,  music,  shouting,  singing  and  probably 
dancing  (cf.  2  Sam.  6^^"^''),  and  the  stage  was  being  set,  as  it 
were,  for  the  next  act.  7.  Before  the  entrance  of  the  outer  court 
the  bearers  of  the  Ark  cry  their  summons  for  admission  of  the 
glorious  or  triumphant  King,  and,  8,  to  the  question  who  is 
this  triumphant  king,  respond  that  it  is  Yahaweh,  the  mighty 
hero,  Yahaweh,  the  hero  of  the  battle.  9.  So  the  procession 
enters  and  passes  through  the  outer  court  to  repeat  the  same 
summons  and  hear  the  same  question  at  the  gate  of  the  shrine. 
10.  Then,  as  the  inner  gates  are  opened,  and  the  Ark  is  re- 
turned to  its  place  in  the  shrine,  they  shout  the  peculiar  title 
of  their  God,  and  proclaim  Him  as  their  glorious  king.  This 
peculiar  title,  Yahaweh  Zabaoth,  which  dates  certainly  from 
Davidic  times,  but  for  which  we  have  no  earlier  evidence,  is 
explained  in  1  Sam.  17*^  as  meaning  God  of  the  Battle  array 
of  Israel;  but  from  very  ancient  times  certainly  it  involved  also 
the  idea  of  headship  over  corresponding  spiritual  powers,  the 
hosts  of  heaven,  angels,  etc.,  by  and  through  whom  Yahaweh 
won  His  victories  and  wrought  His  will  on  earth  (Cf.  IK. 
22  l^  2K.  6  ^0-  The  selah  at  the  close  of  this  stanza  indicates  the 
sacrifices,  the  shouts,  the  songs  and  the  merry  making  which  were 
to  take  place  at  this  point,  presumably  much  as  when  the  Ark  was 
first  installed  in  Jerusalem  (2  Sam.  6^^'^^).  Clearly  this  was  a 
liturgy  for  the  return  of  the  Ark  to  its  shrine.  According  to  the 
ancient  story  the  Ark,  a  box  containing  two  tablets  of  stone,  on 


156  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

which  were  inscribed  the  ten  commandments,  was  the  imageless 
similitude  of  the  God  of  Israel,  which  the  Israelites  brought  with 
them  when  they  entered  the  Holy  Land,  which  accompanied  them 
in  their  marchings  and  their  battles.  Enshrined  at  Shiloh,  among 
the  tribes  of  Joseph,  it  remained  their  ultimate  palladium  in  battle 
until  captured  by  the  Philistines  (1  Sam.  4).  After  his  victories 
over  the  Philistines  David  reclaimed  it  and  made  it  the  central  ob- 
ject of  worship  in  Jerusalem  (2  Sam.  6),  and  apparently,  as  be- 
fore, a  palladium  in  battle  (2  Sam.  11  ^^  The  last  notice  of  such 
use  which  we  find  is  at  the  flight  of  David  before  Absalom 
(2  Sam.  15").  When  Solomon  built  his  temple  he  housed  the 
Ark  in  the  most  holy  place  (1  K.  8^^),  as  the  central  treasure 
and  object  of  reverence ;  and  there  it  remained  until  the  time  of  the 
Reformation,  under  King  Josiah,  as  we  learn  from  Dt.  31  ^*',  2  K. 
22  ®,  2  Chr.  35  ^,  and  Jer.  3  ^*^'  ^~.  From  the  two  latter  passages 
it  would  appear  that  during  this  period  it  was  brought  out  on 
certain  occasions,  and  carried  about  by  the  Levites  (a  burden 
on  the  shoulder)  for  ceremonial  exhibition  to  the  people. 
Against  this  Jeremiah  and  the  reformers,  who  are  attempting 
to  abolish  everything  savoring  of  image  worship,  protest,  and 
the  Ark  procession  was  at  that  time  abolished.  But  during 
the  period  from  Solomon  to  Josiah  there  was  an  Ark  proces- 
sion, presumably  annual  at  the  feast  of  the  Passover  (2 
Ch.  35'^),  at  which  the  Ark  was  taken  out  of  the  Holy  of 
Holies,  and  then  restored  with  pomp  and  ceremony  as  at  the 
outset,  in  general  plan  like  the  Marduk  procession  at  Babylon, 
also  at  the  spring  solstice,  the  great  procession  of  the  sacred 
boat  at  Egyptian  Thebes,  or  the  procession  at  Paprem  in 
lower  Egypt  which  Herodotus  describes  (B  63),  and  other 
similar  processions  of  ancient  palladiums  in  other  religions. 
This  Psalm,  perhaps  originally  composed  for  the  return  of 
the  Ark  from  war,  was  the  liturgy  of  that  procession.  What 
the  ritual  of  the  festival  was  we  learn  in  substance  from 
2  Sam.  6^^-^^ 

In  the  latter  days  of  the  second  Temple,  as  we  learn  from  the 
heading,  in  the  Greek  translation,  and  in  the  Herodian  Temple, 
as  we  learn  from  the  Talmud,  this  was  the  special  Psalm  for  the 
first  day,  at  morning  sacrifice  in  the  Temple,  and  in  the  Synagogue, 
presumably  because  of  the  first  verse  in  its  relation  to  creation. 
In  the  Christian  Church  for  obvious  reasons  it  became  the  Psalm 
for  Ascension. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


157 


XXV 

A   Psalm   of   David 


UNTO  thee,   O  Lord,  do  I  lift  up 
my  soul. 

2  O  my  God,  I  trust  in  thee :  let 
me  not  be  ashamed,  let  not  mine 
enemies  triumph  over  me. 

3  Yea,  let  none  that  wait  on  thee 
be  ashamed :  let  them  be  ashamed 
which    transgress    without   cause. 

4  Show  me  thy  ways,  O  Lord  ; 
teach  me  thy  paths. 

5  Lead  me  in  thy  truth,  and  teach 
me :  for  thou  art  the  God  of  my 
salvation ;  on  thee  do  I  wait  all  the 
day. 

6  Remember,  O  Lord,  thy  tender 
mercies  and  loving  kindness ;  for 
they  have  been  ever  of  old 

7  Remember  not  the  sins  of  my 
youth ;  nor  my  transgressions :  ac- 
cording to  thy  mercy  remember 
thou  me  for  thy  goodness'  sake, 
O  Lord. 

8  Good  and  upright  is  the  Lord; 
therefore  will  he  teach  sinners  in 
the  way. 

9  The  meek  will  he  guide  in  judg- 
ment :  and  the  meek  will  he  teach 
his  way. 

10  All  the  paths  of  the  Lord  are 

mercy  and  truth  unto  such  as  keep 
his  covenant  and  his  testimonies. 

11  For  thy  name's  sake,  O  Lord, 
pardon  mine  iniquity;  for  it  is 
great. 

12  What  man  is  he  that  feareth 
the  LoRDf  him  shall  he  teach  in  the 
way  that  he  shall  choose. 

13  His  soul  shall  dwell  at  ease; 
and  his  seed  shall  inherit  the  earth. 

14  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with 
them  that  fear  him ;  and  he  will 
shew  them  his  covenant. 


1.  Aleph— To  Thee,  O  Lord,  my 

GoD,  I  lift  up  my  soul. 

2.  Beth. — In  Thee  have  I  trusted, 

let  me  not  be  shamed. 
Let  not  mine   enemies   exult. 

3.  Gimel — Yea,  let  none  that  wait 

on  Thee  be  shamed ; 
Let     them     be     shamed     that 
causeless  betray. 

4.  Daleth. — Thy    ways,    O    Lord, 

cause   me   to  know, 
Thy  paths  teach  me. 

5.  He. — Lead    me    in    Thy    truth 

and  teach  me. 

For  Thou  art  the  God  of  my 
salvation. 
On  Thee  have  I  waited  daily. 

6.  Zayin. — Recall  Thy  love,  Lord, 

and  Thy  mercy. 
For  from  old  time  are  they. 

7.  Heth. — The  sins  and  follies  of 

my  youth  recall  not. 
For  Thy  bounty's  sake,  O  Lord, 

8.  Teth. — Bounteous    and   just   is 

the  Lord, 
Therefore  He  learneth  sinners 
in  the  way. 

9.  Yodh. — He   leadeth  the   needy 

in  judgment, 
And    teacheth    the    needy    His 
way. 

10.  Kaf.— All    the    paths    of    the 

Lord  are  mercy  and  truth. 
To  the  keepers  of  His  covenant 
and   His   testimony. 

11.  Lamedh. — For      Thy      name's 

sake,    Lord,    Thou    heardest 

me. 

And  has  pardoned  my  guilt, 

for  it  was  great. 

12.  j\Iim.— Who,    then,    is   he   that 

feareth  the  Lord? 
He  learneth  him  in  the  way  He 
chooseth. 

13.  Nun.— He    dwelleth    in    abun- 

dance, 
And  his  seed  inherit  the  land. 

14.  Samekh. — The  council  of  the 
Lord  is  of  them  that  fear  Him, 
And  His  covenant  giveth  them 

knowledge. 


158 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


15  Mine  eyes  are  ever  toward  the 
Lord  ;  for  he  shall  pluck  my  feet 
out  of  the  net. 

16  Turn  thee  unto  me,  and  have 
mercy  upon  me;  for  I  am  desolate 
and  afflicted. 

17  The  troubles  of  my  heart  are 
enlarged :  O  bring  thou  me  out  of 
my   distresses. 

18  Look  upon  mine  affliction  and 
my  pain ;  and  forgive  all  my  sins. 

19  Consider  mine  enemies ;  for 
they  are  many ;  and  they  hate  me 
with  cruel  hatred. 

20  O  keep  my  soul,  and  deliver 
me ;  let  me  not  be  ashamed ;  for  I 
put  my  trust  in  thee. 

21  Let  integrity  and  uprightness 
preserve  me ;  for  I  wait  on  thee. 

22  Redeem  Israel,  O  God,  out  of 
all  his  troubles. 


15.  Ayin. — Mine    eyes    are    always 

toward  the  Lord, 

For    He    draweth    my    feet 

from  the  snare. 

16.  Pe. — Turn  unto  me  and  have 

mercy  upon  me. 
For  I  am  alone  and  in  need. 

17.  Zadhe. — Make  broad  the  straits 

of  my  heart, 
And  lead  me  out  of   my  nar- 
rows. 

18.  Qof. — Look   on   my   need   and 

my  pain, 
And  forgive  all  my  sins. 

19.  Resh. — Consider  my  foes,  how 

many  they  be. 
Who   with   cruel   hatred   have 
hated  me. 

20.  Shin. — Preserve  me  and  deliver 

me; 
Let  me  not  be  shamed,   for  I 
have  sought  refuge  in  Thee. 

21.  Tau. — Blameless    and    upright 

they  keep  me, 
Because  I  have  waited  on  Thee. 

22.  Redeem    Israel,   O   God,    from 

all  his   straits. 


Alphabetic  Acrostic 

In  this  Psalm,  as  in  the  similar  Ps.  34,  the  fifth  letter,  a 
demi-vowel,  wau,  is  omitted,  leaving  only  21  letters  to  the 
alphabet. 

1.  After  a  very  common  fashion,  already  several  times 
noted,  this  Psalm  starts  with  a  half  verse,  which  constitutes 
the  caption  of  the  Psalm.  It  is  a  lifting  up  of  my  soul,  i.  e., 
of  myself,  a  supplication,  and  used,  as  the  concluding  verse 
of  the  Psalm  shows,  as  a  litany  on  some  regular  day  of 
atonement  or  fasting  for  the  sins  of  the  people,  Israel,  who 
is  therefore  the  /  of  the  Psalm.  At  the  beginning  of  the  second 
verse  we  have  in  the  text  my  God,  which  mars  both  acrostic  and 
meter.  Apparently  this  belongs  after  Yahaweh  in  v.  1,  giving 
us  the  same  combination  of  Yahaweh  and  Elohim  which  we 
have  in  the  Decalogue  and  in  the  book  of  Deuteronomy. 
2-3.  While  there  are  no  proper  strophes  there  are  paragraphs 
of  two  verses  each  at  commencement  and  close  and  of  four 
verses  each  between,  marked  off  by  sense  and  subject,  as  also 
in  part  by  catchwords.     Shame  is  the  catchword  of  the  first 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  159 

paragraph,  which,  in  its  subject,  trust  of  the  singer  and  peti- 
tion for  overthrow  of  foes,  is  a  typical  Psalm  opening. 
4-7.  The  catchwords  of  the  first  half  of  the  second  paragraph 
are  way  (the  word  lead,  with  which  5  commences,  is  the  verbal 
form  of  ivay,  with  which  4  commences)  and  teach;  of  the  last, 
recall  This  paragraph  differs  from  all  the  rest  in  that  the 
5th  and  7th  verses,  corresponding  to  each  other  at  the  close  of 
its  two  halves,  have  each  an  added  line.  The  first  half  deals 
with  the  study  of  God's  law,  the  second  with  their  ancient 
history,  and  His  mercies,  recorded  therein,  suggesting  the 
existence  of  such  writings  as  the  Yahawistic  and  Elohistic 
narratives  with  their  included  laws,  possibly  also  of  a  prim- 
itive Deuteronomy,  but  not  of  the  Priest  Code.  Bounty,  Hter- 
ally  goodness,  which  in  the  older  language  meant  goodness  in 
material  gifts,  grain  and  wine  and  oil.  8-11.  The  catch  words 
of  the  first  half  are  way  {lead  is  the  same  root)  and  needy; 
in  the  second  half  the  catchword  is  allowed  to  fade  out.  It  is 
by  learning  Yahaweh's  way  that  Israel,  sinful  in  his  youth, 
becomes  the  needy,  the  technical  term  used  in  the  Psalms  for 
the  accepted  worshippers;  and  it  is  to  these  keepers  of  the 
covenant  that  Yahaweh  grants  pardon.  12-15.  It  is  Israel, 
as  fearer  of  Yahaweh,  who  has  learned  His  way,  who  dwells 
in  abundance  in  the  land,  and  his  seed  after  him,  in  the  council 
of  Yahaweh,  because  of  his  knowledge  of  His  covenant;  and 
because  of  this  relation  Yahaweh  delivers  him  from  all  snares. 
16-19.  This  paragraph,  returning  toward  the  motif  of  para- 
graph 1  (vv.  2,  3),  is  a  petition  for  deliverance  from  sins  and 
foes.  In  the  Qof  verse  by  some  copyist's  slip  the  resh  word  of 
the  following  has  been  substituted;  but  the  sense  is  plain 
20,  21.  At  the  close  of  the  litany  we  return  to  a  two-verse 
paragraph,  as  at  the  beginning,  with  a  repetition  of  the  catch- 
word and  the  thought  of  the  first  part  of  that  paragraph ;  to 
which  is  added  the  usual  assurance  of  answer,  he  is  kept 
blameless  and  upright  by  trust  in  Yahaweh.  22.  Then  the  sum- 
ming up  or  benedictional  verse,  in  a  single  line,  to  correspond 
with  the  caption,  and  outside  of  the  acrostic. 

Hampered  by  its  mechanical  framework  this  Psalm  does  not 
appeal  by  its  beauty  or  its  vigor,  but  that  very  framework  must 
have  served  a  valuable  mnemonic  purpose  in  the  use  for  which 
it  was  intended,  as  a  litany  for  a  fast  day  gathering,  to  ask 
forgiveness  of  sins  and  to  be  reminded  of  God's  law  and  the 
lessons  of  the  fathers. 


160 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


XXVI 

A  Psalm  of 


JUDGE  me,  O  Lord;  for  I  have 
walked  in  mine  integrity;  I  have 
trusted  also  in  the  Lord;  therefore 
I  shall  not  slide. 

2  Examine  me,  O  Lord,  and  prove 
me;    try    my    reins    and    my   heart. 

3  For  thy  loving  kindness  is 
before  mine  eyes  :  and  I  have  walked 
in   thy   truth. 

4  I  have  not  sat  with  vain  per- 
sons, neither  will  I  go  in  with  dis- 
semblers. 

5.  I  have  hated  the  congregation 
of  evil  doers;  and  will  not  sit  with 
the  wicked. 

6  I  will  wash  mine  hands  in  in- 
nocency;  so  will  I  compass  thine 
altar,  O  Lord: 

7  That  I  may  publish  with  the 
voice  of  thanksgiving,  and  tell  of 
all  thy  wondrous  works. 

8  Lord,  I  have  loved  the  habita- 
tion of  thy  house,  and  the  place 
where  thine  honour  dwelleth. 

9  Gather  not  my  soul  with  sin- 
ners, nor  my  life  with  bloody  men : 

10  In  whose  hands  is  mischief, 
and  their  right  hand  is  full  of  bribes. 

11  But  as  for  me,  I  will  walk  in 
mine  integrity:  redeem  me,  and  be 
merciful  unto  me. 

12  My  foot  standeth  in  an  even 
place:  in  the  congregations  will  I 
bless  the  Lord. 


1 


7. 

8. 


10. 


11. 


12. 


David. 

Give   judgment   for  me,   Lord. 

Because  I  have  walked  blame- 
lessly. 

And  trusted  in  the  Lord, 

I  am  not  shaken. 

The     Lord    hath    proved    and 

tested  me. 
Tried    out    my    reins    and    my 

heart. 
For  Thy  love  is   before   mine 

eyes. 
And    I    have    walked    in    Thy 

truth. 
With  liars  I  have  not  consorted, 
And   to   dissemblers   I   go   not 

in. 
I  have  hated  the  congregation 

of  the  wicked, 
And    with   the   godless    I   con- 
sort not. 

I  wash  mine  hands  in  in- 
nocency. 

And  encompass  Thine  altar. 
Lord, 

To  utter  the  voice  of  thanks- 
giving. 

And  tell  of  all  Thy  wonders. 

Lord,  I  have  loved  the  habita- 
tion of  Thy  house, 

The  place  where  Thine  honor 
dwelleth. 

Gather    me    not    in    with    the 

sinners. 
Nor  reckon  me  with  the  men 

of    blood ; 
In  whose  hand  is  intrigue, 
Whose    right   hand    is    full   of 

bribes. 
But  I — walk  blamelessly; 
Redeem   me  and  pity  me. 

My    foot    hath    stood    on    the 

square ; 
In  the  congregations  I  bless  the 

Lord. 


Blameless  Faith 
This  might  be  used  as  one  of  the  hymns  in  connection  with 
any  ordinary  sacrifice.     It  is  a  confession  of  blamelessness  and 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


161 


faith  in  Yahaweh,  such  as  the  offerer  of  first  fruits  was 
instructed  to  make  in  connection  with  his  offering  (Dt.  26). 
and  such  as  was  presumably  made  on  many  other  similar 
occasions  by  or  for  the  offerers  (cf.  Ps.  15,  24,  and  Is.  33^*"^®  ). 
1.  Because  of  his  blamelessness  and  faith  he  is  confident 
that  Yahaweh  is  on  his  side,  and  therefore  he  cannot  fall. 
2,  3.  Love  (mercy,  grace  or  loving  kindness),  and  truth,  are 
the  essential  attributes  of  God,  as  in  Jn.  1.  4,  5.  The  ethical 
side  of  his  blamelessness  or  integrity  is  hatred  of  the  lie, 
which  sets  him  apart  from  the  worshippers  of  other  gods. 
6-8.  The  ritual  side  is  observance  of  the  rule  of  cleansing, 
right  worship,  and  love  of  the  Temple.  Encompass  thine  altar 
shows  the  same  custom  of  going  about  the  altar  in  connection 
with  the  sacrifice,  and  singing  Psalms,  which  is  described  as 
the  practice  in  the  Herodian  Temple.  The  description  of  the 
nature  of  the  Psalms  sung  on  such  occasions  is  interesting, 
they  were  both  todhah,  or  praise  rituals,  and  songs  of  Yaha- 
weh's  great  deeds.  Habitation  of  Thy  House  is  the  Holy  of 
Holies.  Thine  honor  is  a  synonym  for  Yahaweh;  ramman, 
might,  is  similarly  used  in  Assyrian.  9-11.  Because  of  his 
blamelessness  the  pious  Israel  is  entitled  to  a  different  lot 
from  the  bloodthirsty  and  false  heathen,  namely  to  redemption 
in  God's  pity.  Compare  v/ith  these  verses  Yasna  XLII  of  the 
Persian  Gathas:  "To  the  wicked  in  truth  a  strong  tormentor 
and  avenger,  but  to  the  righteous  a  mighty  help  and  joy." 
12.  Then  the  closing  call  of  conscious  righteousness,  and 
blessing  to  Yahaweh. 


XXVII 

A  Psalm  of  David 


THE  Lord  is  my  light  and  my 
salvation;  whom  shall  I  fear? 
the  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  life; 
of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid? 


2  When  the  wicked,  even  mine 
enemies  and  my  foes,  came  upon 
me  to  eat  up  my  flesh,  they  stumbled 
and  fell. 


3  Though  a  host  should  encamp 
against  me,  my  heart  shall  not  fear: 
though  war  should  rise  against  me, 
in  this  will  I  be  confident. 


1.  The    Lord,    my   light   and    my 

salvation!    Whom  have  I  to 
fear? 
The  Lord,  the  fortress  of  my 
life !       Whom     have     I     to 
dread? 

2.  When  the  wicked  pressed  upon 

me  to  eat  me  up, 
My  foemen  and  mine  enemies, 
they  stumbled  and  fell. 

3.  Though    there    camp    an    host 

against  me,  my  heart  feareth 
not. 
Though     there     rise     up     war 
against  me,  I  still  will  trust. 


162 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


4  One  thhig  have  I  desired  of  the 
Lord,  that  will  I  seek  after ;  that  I 
may  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord 
all  the  days  of  my  life,  to  behold 
the  beauty  of  the  Lord,  and  to  in- 
quire in  his  temple. 

5  For  in  the  time  of  trouble  he 
shall  hide  me  in  his  pavilion :  in 
the  secret  of  his  tabernacle  shall 
he  hide  me ;  he  shall  set  me  up  upon 
a    rock. 

6  And  now  shall  mine  head  be 
lifted  up  above  mine  enemies  round 
about  me :  therefore  will  I  offer  in 
his  tabernacle  sacrifices  of  joy;  I 
will  sing,  yea,  I  will  sing  praises 
unto  the  Lord. 

7  Hear,  O  Lord,  when  I  cry  with 
my  voice :  have  mercy  also  upon 
me,  and  answer  me. 

8  When  thou  saidst,  Seek  ye  my 
face;  my  heart  said  unto  thee.  Thy 
face,  O  Lord,  will  I  seek. 

9  Hide  not  thy  face  far  from 
me;  put  not  thy  servant  away  in 
anger ;  thou  hast  been  my  help ; 
leave  me  not,  neither  forsake  me,  O 
God  of  my  salvation. 

10  When  my  father  and  my 
mother  forsake  me,  then  the  Lord 
will  take  me  up. 

11  Teach  me  thy  way,  O  Lord, 
and  lead  me  in  a  plain  path,  because 
of  mine  enemies. 

12  Deliver  me  not  over  unto  the 
will  of  mine  enemies :  for  false 
witnesses  are  risen  up  against  me, 
and  such  as  breathe  out  cruelty. 

13  I  had  fainted,  unless  I  had 
believed  to  see  the  goodness  of  the 
Lord  in  the  land  of  the  living. 

14  Wait  on  the  Lord  :  be  of  good 
courage,  and  he  shall  strengthen 
thine  heart :  wait,  I  say,  on  the 
Lord. 


4.  One  thing  I  have  asked  of  the 

Lord,  this  I  entreat : 
To  dwell  in  the  house  of  the 

Lord  all  the  days  of  my  life, 
To    gaze    upon   the    beauty    of 

the  Lord,  and  inquire  in  His 

Temple. 

5.  For    He    hideth     me    in    His 

covert  in  the  days  of  trouble, 
In    His    secret    tent    He    con- 
cealeth   me.    He    setteth    me 
on  a  rock. 

6    And   now   mine  head  is  lifted 
above  mine  enemies  around 
me, 
And  I  would  offer  in  His  tent 

offerings  with  a  shout, 
I  would  sing  and  make  music 
to  the  Lord. 

7.  Hear,  Lord,  my  voice ; 

I   call,   pity   Thou   and    answer 
me. 

8.  To  Thee  said  my  heart :  Seek 

ye  My  face ; 
Thy  face.  Lord,  I  seek. 

.9     Hide  not  Thou  Thy  face  from 

me. 
In  anger  put  not  Thy  servant 

away. 
My  help  hast  Thou  been ; 
Cast  me  not  off  nor  forsak  me. 
Oh  God  of  my  salvation. 

10.  For  my  father  and  my  mother 

forsook  me. 
And  the  Lord  gathereth  me  in. 

11.  Teach    me,    Lord,   Thy    way. 
And   lead    me   in   the   path   of 

right. 
Because  of  mine  adversaries, 

12.  Yield  me  not  to  the  lust  of  my 

foes. 
For   false  witnesses   are  risen 

against  me, 
Breathing   out   violence, 

13.  I   shall    surely   see   the   bounty 

of  the  Lord, 
In  the  land  of  the  living. 

14.  Wait  on  the  Lord  ; 

Be  strong,  and  let  thine  heart 

be  brave ; 
And  wait  on  the  Lord. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  163 

Wait  on  the  Lord 

This  is  a  liturgy  composed  of  two  Psalms  of  different 
metre,  tone  and  date.  The  first  of  these,  vv.  1-6,  is  much 
the  older  of  the  two.  It  is  a  Temple  Psalm  of  the  believer 
finding  His  protection  in  Zion  against  attacking  foes,  but  giving 
no  evidence  of  special  occasion  and  peculiar  straits ;  rather  a 
sacrificial  praise  song  for  general  use,  with  the  familiar  siege 
motive  for  its  theme. 

1.  The  first  half  of  this  verse  is  based  on  the  priestly  blessing, 
the  first  two  clauses  of  which  commence  with  light  and  salvation 
(Num.  6  "^).  The  second  half  is  the  familiar  picture  of  Yahaweh 
in  Zion,  a  fortress  to  protect  His  people.  2,  3.  This  stanza  pic- 
tures the  siege.  Eating  up  is  still  a  familiar  phrase  in  the  Orient 
for  destruction  or  exploitation  of  a  people  invaded  or  oppressed. 
4,  5.  This  sings  the  praise  of  the  Temple  and  the  happiness  of 
its  safe  retreat.  Case  upon,  the  word  used  of  prophetic  visions. 
It  represents  just  such  an  attitude  toward  the  shrine  of  Yahaweh 
as  that  of  Isaiah  narrated  in  Is.  6.  Inquire,  i.  e.,  seek  the  oracle. 
An  important  part  of  the  priest's  duty  was  to  interpret  the 
oracle  of  Yahaweh.  Covert  and  secret  tent  designate  the  dark 
Holy  of  Holies,  which  symbolized  Yahaweh's  abode  in  heaven 
behind  the  darkness  of  the  clouds.  The  Holy  of  Holies  was 
elevated  on  the  knob  of  rock  which  projects  above  the  Temple 
enclosure,  hence  to  be  sheltered  in  it  was  to  be  set  on  a  rock. 
6.  The  sacrificial  clause  of  shouting  and  singing  as  the  sacri- 
fice is  accepted,  and  favorable  answer  assured.  Lifted  up, 
physically  as  well  as  metaphorically  above  his  enemies.  The 
old  word  tent  is  here  used  to  designate  the  entire  Temple. 

The  second  Psalm  (vv.  7-14)  belongs  not  to  a  period  of  heroic 
fighting  and  victories  over  besiegers,  but  to  one  of  humiliation, 
where  the  enemies  are  false  witnesses,  and  the  faithful  only 
wait  and  hope;  i.  e.,  a  period  after  the  Exile.  It  is  full  of 
suggestions  from  and  reflections  of  other  Psalms  and  Scrip- 
tures. 7,  8.  It  commences  with  a  cry  of  pain,  then,  like  the 
older  Psalm,  recurs  to  the  priestly  blessing,  using  a  phrase  of 
it  (Num.  10  2^)  very  familiar  from  the  earliest  psalmody  on 
(cf.  Ps.  24^,  105*),  so  that  it  is  represented  as  graven  in  the 
heart  of  the  true  believer.  9.  Now,  however,  it  is  not  so 
much  a  question  of  seeking  Yahaweh's  face  as  of  His  hiding 
His  face  from  them,  as  in  such  late  Psalms  as  102  and  143. 
The  fact  that  this  Psalm  in  both  parts  is  Yahawistic  throughout, 


164 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


unlike  most  of  the  earlier  Judean  Psalms,  which  use  Elohim 
and  El  with  Yahawch,  makes  the  closing  phrase  of  this  stanza 
appear  to  be  a  citation  of  24  ^.  Indeed  both  24  and  25  seem 
to  be  freely  used  in  this  Psalm.  10,  11^  Verse  10  seems  to 
show  an  acquaintance  with  the  post-exilic  Isaiah  (cf.  Is.  49  ^^, 
63  ^«;  cf.  also  Dt.  32").  11^  12.  Verse  11  depends  on  Ps. 
25.  These  verses  contain  phrases  identical  with  Ps.  41  ^,  35  ^\ 
and  apparently  derived  from  those  Psalms.  13.  In  spite  of 
this  state  of  calamity  and  humiliation  the  Messianic  hope  is 
maintained,  of  the  restoration  of  prosperity  to  Israel  by  divine 
intervention.  14.  So  the  Psalm  ends  with  a  beautiful  verse 
of  hopeful  waiting,  derived  from  Ps.  37  ^*. 

By  this  addition  an  old  sacrificial  Psalm  of  militant  Judah  was 
so  incorporated  in  a  new  liturgy  as  to  make  its  cry  of  ancient 
victory  an  inspiration  in  present  distress,  and  a  forecast  of 
future  salvation.  This  throws  light  on  the  method  of  use  and 
the  manner  of  interpretation  by  which  other  similar  Psalms 
of  the  earlier  period  were  later  made  available. 

The  famous  motto  of  Oxford  University  comes  from  the 
first  verse  of  this  Psalm. 


XXVIII 

A  Psalm  of  David. 


UNTO  thee  will  I  cry,  O  Lord 
my  rock ;  be  not  silent  to  me ; 
lest,  if  thou  be  silent  to  me,  I 
become  like  them  that  go  down 
into   the   pit. 


2  Hear  the  voice  of  my  supplica- 
tions, when  I  cry  unto  thee,  when 
I  lift  up  my  hands  toward  thy  holy 
oracle. 


3  Draw  me  not  away  with  the 
wicked,  and  with  the  workers  of 
iniquity,  which  speak  peace  to  their 
neighbors,  but  mischief  is  in  their 
hearts. 


4  Give  them  according  to  their 
deeds,  and  according  to  the  wicked- 
ness of  their  endeavours  :  give  them 
after  the  work  of  their  hands; 
render  to  them  their  desert. 


1.  Unto  thee,  O  Lord,  I  call. 

My  Rock,  be  not  deaf  against 

me, 
Lest,  if  Thou  keep  silence  from 

me, 
I    be    like   unto   them   that   go 

down  to  the  pit. 

2.  Hear    the    voice    of    my    plea 

when    I    cry   unto    Thee, 
When   I   lift  up  my  hands  to 
the    sanctuary   of   Thy  holi- 
ness. 

3.  Drag    me    not    off    with    the 

godless  and  doers  of  evil. 
Who    speak    peace    and    good 
will    with    ill    will    in    their 
heart. 

4.  Give  to  them  according  to  their 

deeds,  and  according  to  the 
ill    of    their    endeavors; 
According  to  the  doing  of  their 
hands  give  unto  them,  render 
their  desert  to  them. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


165 


5  Because  they  regard  not  the 
works  of  the  Lord,  nor  the  opera- 
tion of  his  hands,  he  shall  destroy 
them,  and  not  build  them  up. 

6  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  because  he 
hath  heard  the  voice  of  my  sup- 
plications. 

7  The  Lord  is  my  strength  and  my 
shield ;  my  heart  trusted  in  him, 
and  I  am  helped :  therefore  my 
heart  greatly  rejoiceth;  and  with 
my  song  will  I  praise  him. 


8  The  Lord  is  their  strength,  and 
he  is  the  saving  strength  of  his 
anointed. 


9  Save  thy  people,  and  bless  thine 
inheritance :  feed  them  also,  and  lift 
them  up  for  ever. 


5.  Since  they  have  no  regard  for 

the  deeds  of  the  Lord,  and 
the  works  of  His  hands, 
He    teareth    them    down,    and 
buildeth  them  not. 

6.  Blessed  be   the   Lord,   for   He 

hath  heard  the  voice  of  my 
plea. 

7.  The  Lord,  my  strength  and  my 

shield ! 
In  Him  I  have  trusted  and  am 

holpen,    and     my    heart     ex- 

ulteth, 
And  with  songs  I  praise  Him. 

8.  The  Lord,  the  strength  of  His 

people  1 
And     the     stronghold    of    the 
victories  of  His  Anointed  is 
He. 

9.  Save    Thy    people,    and    bless 

Thine  inheritance. 
And    shepherd    them,    and    lift 
them  up  forever. 


Unto  Thee,  O  Lord 

JJyito  Thee,  0  Lord,  I  call,  is  the  caption  of  this  Psalm.  It 
is  a  hymn  to  be  used  in  connection  with  the  ordinary  sacri- 
fices. It  is  early ;  its  words,  phrases  and  thoughts  are  the  same 
as  those  we  have  been  meeting.  The  metre  is  elaborate  and 
irregular,  but  effective,  depending  for  its  effect,  however,  more 
upon  a  rhyming  assonance  than  upon  parallelism.  It  is  a 
prayer,  accompanying  sacrifice,  to  Yahaweh,  the  Rock,  in  His 
sanctuary,  for  the  punishment  of  godless  heathen  foes,  and  vic- 
tory for  the  anointed  king  and  the  people  of  the  Lord.  There 
is  no  sense  of  imminent  peril,  and  the  singers  are  confident  in 
the  good  will  of  Yahaweh. 

1,  2.  The  appeal.  Pit,  cf.  7^^.  Dehir,  Sanctuary,  literally 
the  place  behind,  where  the  treasures  were  kept.  Cf .  1  K.  5  ^"^^ 
3-5.  Prayer  for  the  overthrow  of  the  heathen  foes,  closing  with  the 
assurance  of  their  punishment  and  the  statement  of  its  cause. 
Drag  me  not  off,  the  figure  of  carrying  off  captives  in  war,  8,  26  °. 
Speak  peace,  cf .  5  ^  12  -.  Is.  5  ^-  uses  language  almost  identical 
with  5  ^,  and  the  thought  of  5  '^  was  a  favorite  with  Jeremiah  (cf . 
24  6^  42  10,  45  4).  Both  of  these  men  were  of  those  who  loved  "the 
habitation  of  Thy  House,"  and  both  must  often  have  taken 
part  in  this  and  similar  liturgies.     6,  7.     Indicate  the  offering 


166 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


and  acceptance  of  the  sacrifice.  This  and  the  following  stanza 
contain  several  of  the  honorific  names  of  Yahaweh,  after  the 
manner  and  for  the  purpose  set  forth  in  the  Introduction.  My 
shield,  cf.  3^.  8,  9.  A  doxological  closing  stanza.  The 
people  and  the  anointed  ruler  are  joined  together.  Save  Thy 
people,  etc.  (9),  a  common  phrase  from  an  early  period  on- 
ward, cf.  Dt.  9  ==^  1  K.  8 ".  Shepherd  them,  etc.,  cf.  Ps.  23, 
also  Is.  40  ^^,  46  ^,  63  ^,  where  we  have  the  same  beautiful 
picture  of  lifting  up  and  carrying  the  lambs. 


XXIX 

A  Psalm  of  David. 


GIVE     unto     the     Lord,     O     ye 
mighty,    give    unto    the    Lord 
glory    and    strength. 

2  Give  unto  the  Lord  the  glory 
due  unto  his  name ;  worship  the 
Lord   in   the   beauty   of   holiness. 

3  The  voice  of  the  Lord  is 
upon  the  waters:  the  God  of  glory 
thundereth :  the  Lord  is  upon 
many    waters. 

4  The  voice  of  the  Lord  is  pow- 
erful ;  the  voice  of  the  Lord  is  full 
of  majesty. 

5  The  voice  of  the  Lord  break- 
eth  the  cedars ;  yea,  the  Lord 
breaketh  the  cedars  of  Lebanon. 

6  He  maketh  them  also  to  skip 
like  a  calf ;  Lebanon  and  Sirion 
like   a  young  unicorn. 

7  The  voice  of  the  Lord  divid- 
eth    the    flames    of    fire. 

8  The  voice  of  the  Lord  shak- 
eth  the  wilderness ;  the  Lord 
shaketh  the  wilderness  of  Kadesh. 

9  The  voice  of  the  Lord  mak- 
eth the  hinds  to  calve,  and  dis- 
covereth  the  forests :  and  in  his 
temple  doth  every  one  speak  of 
his   glory. 

10  The  Lord  sitteth  upon  the 
flood ;  yea,  the  Lord  sitteth  King 
for  ever. 

11  The  Lord  will  give  strength 
unto  his  people;  the  Lord  will 
bless   his   people   with  peace. 


1. 


5. 


8. 


9. 


10. 
11. 


Ascribe  to  the   Lord^   sons   of 

the  gods, 
Ascribe     to     the     Lord     glory 

and   strength. 
Ascribe  to  the  Lord  the  glory 

of  His  name, 
Worship  the   Lord  in   apparel 

of    holiness. 

The  voice  of  the  Lord  on  the 

waters  1 
The   Lord  on   great   waters. 
The   voice   of    the   Lord  with 

might  I 
The   voice    of    the    Lord   with 

splendor! 

The  voice  of  the  Lord  break- 
ing   cedars ! 

The  Lord  hath  broken  the 
cedars  of  Lebanon : 

He  maketh  Lebanon  skip  like 
a  bull, 

And   Sirion  like  a  wild   ox. 

The  voice  of  the  Lord  cleav- 
ing  flames    of    fire; 

The  voice  of  the  Lord  whirleth 
the  desert. 

The  Lord  whirleth  the  desert 
of    Kadesh. 

The  voice  of  the  Lord  maketh 
hinds  travail. 

The    while    He    strippeth    the 

forests, 
In  His  Temple  all  cry.  Glory ! 

The  Lord  sat  at  the  Flood ; 
The     Lord    give     His     people 

strength  1 
The    Lord    bless    His    people 

with  peace  I 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  167 

The  Song  of  Seven  Thunders 

1,  2.  Ascription  of  praise  to  Yahaweh  in  His  heavenly 
heights  by  all  the  race  of  the  gods,  whose  Lord  He  is.  Clothed 
in  the  apparel  of  holiness,  just  as  all  who  serve  in  His  earthly 
Temple  must  wear  a  special  raiment,  holy  from  con- 
tact with  that  which  does  not  belong  to  Him.  This  was 
an  almost  universal  ancient  use  (cf.  for  instance,  2K,  10  2^), 
and  prevails  still  at  such  places  as  Mecca.  3,  4.  Voice  of 
Yahaweh  was  the  Hebrew  name  for  thunder.  It  is  repeated 
intentionally  seven  times  in  this  Psalm,  a  Hebrew  mystic  or 
sacred  number.  The  first  thunder  peal  is  far  away,  the  voice 
of  Yahaweh  in  His  heavenly  palace,  above  the  mighty  waters 
that  are  above  the  firmament.  ''The  God  of  glory  thundered" 
is  an  explanatory  gloss,  and  not  part  of  the  original  poem. 
Then  two  succeeding  verses,  commencing  the  voice  of  Yahaweh, 
to  indicate  the  change  from  the  distant  to  the  present  storm, 
with  its  repeated  peals,  revealing  the  might  and  splendor  of 
Yahaweh's  presence.  4,  5.  The  storm  as  it  breaks  on  the 
forested  mountains  of  the  north,  the  thunder  and  the  crashing 
of  the  cedars,  the  mighty  cedars  of  Lebanon,  and  even  the 
huge  masses  of  the  Lebanon  and  Llermon  (which  the  Sidonians 
called  Sirion,  Dt.  3  ®)  seemed  in  motion,  skipping,  the  one 
like  the  herds  that  grazed  its  pastures,  the  other  like  the 
wild  oxen  that  roamed  on  its  rugged  sides.  The  psalmist  has 
in  one  stroke  vividly  pictured  the  difference  between  the 
two  mountains  as  one  sees  them  even  today.  This  is  the 
picture  of  destruction  and  terror  of  the  storm  in  the  lands 
to  the  north  of  the  Holy  Land.  7,  8,  9^.  The  next  stanza  has 
three  thunder  claps  to  match  the  three  of  the  first  stanza,  the 
central  stanza  having  but  one,  and  the  order  is  exactly  re- 
versed; in  the  first  one  peal,  then  an  intervening  line,  and 
then  two  thunder  peals  together ;  here,  two  together,  an  inter- 
vening line,  and  then  one.  It  pictures  the  storm  in  the  very 
different,  treeless  and  desert  region  south  of  the  Holy  Land. 
Yahaweh's  voice,  like  a  mighty  blow,  cleaving  out  lightnings, 
as  sparks  are  cleaved  out  when  the  bare  rock  is  smitten; 
perhaps  a  reminiscence  of  Sinai.  Then  the  whirling  of  the  whole 
desert  with  the  fury  of  the  wind,  the  awful  sand  storm,  and, 
playing  upon  the  same  word,  the  whirling  in  the  anguish  of 
travail  of  the  frightened  gazelle  does.  9^.  In  contrast  with 
the  devastation  and  destruction  wrought  by  Yahaweh's  storm 


168 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


in  the  alien  lands,  the  peace  in  Zion,  where  Yahaweh  is  a 
God  of  loving  kindness.  While  without  forests  are  stripped 
in  His  fury,  within  pious  Israel  peacefully  sings  of  His  glory. 
10,  11.  The  closing  ascription  of  praise  to  Yahaweh,  zuho 
sat  at  the  Flood,  i.  e.,  has  shown  His  miraculous  power  from 
time  immemorial,  and  shall  reign  for  ages  to  come;  the  prayer 
for  victorious  strength,  and  for  the  benediction  of  peace  (Num. 
6^^),  with  which  the  liturgies  of  the  sacrifice  closed. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  name  Yahaweh  is  used  re- 
peatedly and  exclusively  in  this  Psalm.  It  belongs  to  the 
henotheistic  period,  where  Yahaweh  was  the  God  of  Israel, 
but  the  other  gods  existed.  Cf.  the  use  of  the  first  stanza 
by  a  Psalmist  of  the  monotheistic,  post-exilic  period  (96""'*), 
and  the  substitution  of  kindreds  of  the  peoples  for  sons  of  the 
gods.  Still  later  sons  of  the  gods  ceased  to  be  offensive  be- 
cause no  longer  taken  literally.  It  is  a  Psalm  of  the  class 
described  by  another  Psalmist  as  the  narration  of  God's 
wondrous  zuorks,  in  contrast  with  the  todhah  psalms. 

From  the  heading  of  the  Greek  translation  it  would  appear 
that  before  200  B.  C.  this  was  the  special  Psalm  for  the  added 
eighth  day  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles.  Later  it  was  assigned 
to  Pentecost. 

XXX 

A  Psalm  and  Song  at  the  delication  of  the  house  of  David. 


I  WILL  extol  thee,  O  Lord;  for 
thou  hast  lifted  me  up,  and 
hast  not  made  my  foes  to  rejoice 
over    me. 

2  O  Lord  my  God,  I  cried  unto 
thee,  and  thou  hast  healed  me. 


3  O  Lord,  thou  hast  brought  up 
my  soul  from  the  grave ;  thou  hast 
kept  me  alive,  that  I  should  not 
go    down   to   the   pit. 

4  Sing  unto  the  Lord,  O  ye 
saints  of  his,  and  give  thanks  at 
the    remembrance   of   his   holiness. 

5  For  his  anger  endureth  but  a 
moment;  in  his  favor  is  life: 
weeping  may  endure  for  a  night, 
but   joy   Cometh   in  the  morning. 


1.  I  extol  Thee,  Lord,  for  Thou 

hast  drawn  me  up. 
Neither  hast  Thou  made  mine 
enemies   be   glad. 

2.  O  Lord  my  God,  unto  Thee  I 

cried,   and   Thou   didst   heal 
me. 

3.  O    Lord,    Thou    hast    brought 

me  up  out  of  hell, 
Hast  quickened  me  from  them 
that  go  down  to  the  pit. 

4.  Make    music   to    the    Lord,   ye 

His    saints, 
And    give    thanks    at    the    re- 
membrance of  His  holiness. 

5.  For,  A  moment  in  His  wrath, 
A    lifetime    in    His    favor; 

At    even    weeping    cometh    in 

to    lodge, 
But   in   the   morning   a   shout 

of   joy. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


169 


6  And  in  my  prosperity  I  said, 
I    shall    never    be    moved. 

7  Lord,  by  thy  favour  thou  hast 
made  my  mountain  to  stand 
strong:  thou  didst  hide  thy  face, 
and    I    was    troubled. 

8  I  cried  to  thee,  O  Lord  ;  and 
unto  the  Lord  I  made  supplica- 
tion. 

9  What  profit  is  there  in  my 
blood,  when  I  go  down  to  the 
pit?  Shall  the  dust  praise  thee? 
shall   it   declare   thy   truth? 

10  Hear,  O  Lord,  and  have  mercy 
upon  me :  Lord,  be  thou  my  helper. 

11  Thou  hast  turned  for  me 
my  mourning  into  dancing :  thou 
hast  put  off  my  sackcloth,  and 
girded    me    with  gladness ; 

12  To  the  end  that  my  glory 
may  sing  praise  to  thee,  and  not 
be  silent.  O  Lord  my  God,  I  will 
give   thanks    unto  thee  for   ever. 


5.     And   I — in  my  success  I   said : 

I  shall  be  unmoved  for  ever; 

7.     Thou,  Lord,  of  Thy  goodness 

hast      made     my      hill      so 

strong. 

Thou  hiddest  Thy  face;  I  was 
confounded. 
3.    Unto    Thee,    Lord,    I    cry, 
And   unto   my   God   I   entreat: 


What  profit  in  my  blood?  in 
my  descent  to  the  abyss? 

Shall  dust  praise  Thee?  shall 
it    declare    Thy    truth? 

Hear,    Lord,   and   pity   mel 

Lord,  be   Thou  my  helpl 


10. 


11. 


12. 


Thou  hast  turned  my  mourn- 
ing into   dancing; 

Thou  hast  put  off  my  sack- 
cloth, and  girded  me  with 
gladness ; 

That  I  may  sing  to  Thee  and 
never    cease. 

O  Lord,  my  God,  for  ever  do 
I    praise    Thee. 


Psalm  of  Dedication 

1-3.  Praise  to  the  Lord  for  deliverance  of  Israel  from 
death;  He  has  drawn  up  His  people  from  Sheol  {hell,  in 
the  old  meaning  of  that  word  in  English,  as  in  the  Apostles' 
Creed),  has  made  Israel  live  when  he  was  dead.  The  same 
language  and  conceptions  which  we  find  in  Ps.  6  ^,  13  *,  16  ^°, 
25  ^,  28  ^,  Is.  38,  the  psalmist  evidently  moving  in  the  same 
Temple  environment.  Yahaweh  and  Elohim  are  combined, 
as  in  the  Decalogue  and  Deuteronomy.  4-5.  The  praise  song. 
The  believers  (saitits,  of  New  Testament  use,  as  in  Pauline 
epistles),  His  people,  are  summoned  to  make  music,  the  tech- 
nical phrase  for  Psalms  with  instrumental  accompaniment  (the 
same  word  also  in  v.  12),  and  sing  todhahs,  thank  or  praise 
songs,  at  His  sacrifices,  the  remembrance  of  His  holiness.  The 
last  line  of  the  stanza  suggests  the  morning  sacrifice  with  its 
great  cry  of  joy.  A  post-exilic  Psalmist  cites  v.  4  (97  ^^)  with 
an  interesting  change  of  saints  to  righteous,  and  remembrance 
of  His  holiness  to  His  holy  name.  The  beautiful  picture  of 
the  shortness  of  His  wrath  and  the  length  of  His  favor,  con- 
tained in  V.  5,  is  utilized  in  two  post-exilic  passages,  Is.  26  ^°, 


170  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

54  ^'  ®.  6,  7  ^.  The  prosperity,  followed  by  adversity,  because 
of  the  hiding  of  God's  face,  as  in  Dt.  31  ^^  and  in  the  great 
song  of  Moses,  Dt.  32.  It  is  the  inception  of  that  conception 
of  the  life  history  of  Israel  which  found  its  development  in 
the  editing  of  the  stories  of  the  Judges  into  our  book  of 
Judges  during  the  Exile,  and  of  the  similar  treatment  of 
the  later  history  in  our  books  of  Kings.  It  represents,  however, 
an  earlier  stage  of  that  development ;  the  emphasis  is  on  Yahaweh's 
action,  the  hiding  of  Yahaweh's  face,  not  on  the  sins  of  Israel. 
Unmoved  forever  (6),  cf.  Ps.  IC.  There  is  here  (7)  the  same 
picture  of  the  physical  strength  of  the  mountain  fortress  of  Zion, 
and  its  meaning  to  Judah,  which  has  been  noted  in  connection 
with  earlier  Psalms.  7^,  8.  The  petition  to  help.  Entreat, 
the  same  verb  in  another  mood  which  appears  as  pity  in  v. 
10;  actively,  to  show  pity,  passively,  to  entreat  pity.  9-10.  Fur- 
ther developed  than  in  Ps.  6  ^  and  Is.  38  "'  ^^  along  the  line  of 
God's  advantage,  that  if  Israel  is  destroyed  there  will  be  none 
to  offer  Him  sacrifices,  and  sing  the  praise  songs  in  which 
He  rejoices.  In  v.  10  the  second  Yahaweh  of  the  Hebrew 
text  has  been  corrected  to  My  God,  after  the  Greek,  and  ac- 
cording to  v.  2.  11,  12.  The  final  praise  verse  for  acceptance 
of  the  sacrifice  and  answer  of  the  petition.  Here  again  dancing 
is  a  part  of  the  sacrificial  festivity,  as  in  Ex.  15^°,  2  Sam.  6^*. 
These  verses  lie  behind  the  beautiful  picture  of  Jer.  30,  31 
(cf.  especially  31  *-  ^^.  In  v.  12  my  glory  is  used,  like  my  heart, 
and  my  life,  as  an  emphatic  I  myself  (cf.  Ps.  16^,  and 
also  the  similar  use  of  glory  as  a  synonym  for  Yahazveh,  as 
My  glory.)  This  was  a  todhah  Psalm,  to  use  again  the  Psalm- 
ist's classification,  as  over  against  the  category  of  Psalms 
telling  of  God's  mighty  deeds.  It  was  used,  according  to  the 
heading,  for  the  dedication  of  the  Temple,  i.  e.,  apparently 
the  annual  celebration  of  the  dedication,  a  class  of  festivals 
practically  universal  in  connection  with  shrines  or  temples  in 
all  religions.  The  erection  of  Solomon's  temple  instituted  an 
era  to  date  from  (cf.  2  K.  6),  and  the  account  of  the  dedica- 
tion contained  in  2  K.  8  presumably  reflects  to  some  degree 
the  later  celebrations  of  that  dedication,  just  as  the  story  of 
David's  bringing  up  of  the  Ark  to  Jerusalem  (2  Sam.  6) 
reflects  the  ritual  of  the  later  bringings  in  of  the  Ark  after 
battle  (cf.  Ps.  24).  In  the  ritual  of  which  Psalm  30  was  a 
liturgy  there  is  a  double  moment  of  sacrifice  (vv.  4  and  11); 
as  in  the  Ark  ritual    (cf.  2  Sam.   5  and  Ps.  24).     Evidently, 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


171 


from  the  later  use  of  it,  this  Psalm  was  well  known  and 
possessed  a  peculiar  significance,  as  would  be  expected  in  the 
case  of  a  Psalm  regularly  used  for  so  important  a  feast 
as  the  celebration  of  the  Dedication  of  the  Temple.  Appar- 
ently originally  that  festival  was  connected  with  Tabernacles, 
but  after  165  B.  C,  when  Judas  Maccabeus  rededicated  the 
Temple,  because  of  the  Antiochian  pollution,  at  the  winter 
solstice  (1  Mac.  4  2«-^^  2  Mac.  10  ^■«),  the  feast  of  Dedication 
was  transferred  to  that  season  and  with  it  the  use  of  this 
Psalm,  which  is  still  the  special  Psalm  for  that  festival. 


XXXI 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


IN   thee,   O    Lord,   do    I   put   my 
trust ;  let  me  never  be  ashamed : 
deliver  me   in  thy   righteousness. 

2  Bow  down  thine  ear  to  me; 
deliver  me  speedily:  be  thou  my 
strong  rock,  for  a  house  of  de- 
fence to  save  me. 

3  For  thou  art  my  rock  and  my 
fortress ;  therefore  for  thy  name's 
sake   lead   me,   and   guide   me. 

4  Pull  me  out  of  the  net  that 
they  have  laid  privily  for  me :  for 
thou  art  my   strength. 

5  Into  thine  hand  I  commit  my 
spirit:  thou  hast  redeemed  me,  O 
Lord  God  of  truth. 

6  I  have  hated  them  that  regard 
lying  vanities :  but  I  trust  in  the 
Lord. 

7  I  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in 
thy  mercy:  for  thou  hast  con- 
sidered my  trouble;  thou  hast 
known   my   soul   in   adversities ; 

8  And  hast  not  shut  me  up  into 
the  hand  of  the  enemy :  thou  hast 
set  my   feet  in   a   large   room. 


1.  In  Thee,  Lord,  have  I  trusted, 
Let    me    not    be    shamed    for 

ever, 
In    Thy    righteousness    deliver 
me; 

2.  Incline   to   me   Thine  ear, 
Speedily    rescue    me. 

Be  to  me  a   strong  rock, 
A   house   of    defence   to    save 
me; 

3.  For  my  crag  and  my  defence 

art   Thou ; 
And     for    Thy    name's     sake 
Thou  leadest  me  and  guid- 
est   me; 

4.  Thou     savest     me     from     the 

snare    they   hid    for   me, 
For    my    strength    art    Thou. 

5.  Into    Thy    hand    I    commend 

my    spirit. 
Thou      hast      redeemed      me. 
Lord,  God  of  truth. 

6.  I  have  hated  them  that  serve 

false  gods; 
And    I — in    the    Lord    I    have 
trusted. 

7.  Let  me   exult  and  be  glad  in 

Thy  love. 
Because    Thou    hast    seen    my 

need. 
Thou   hast   knowledge   of    my 

straits, 

8.  And  hast  not   shut  me  up  in 

the   hand   of   the   foe; 
Thou    hast    planted    my    foot 
in    the    open. 


172 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


9  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  Lord, 
for  I  am  in  trouble :  mine  eye 
is  consumed  with  grief,  yea,  my 
soul   and   my  belly. 

10  For  my  life  is  spent  with 
grief,  and  my  years  with  sighing : 
my  strength  faileth  because  of 
mine  iniquity,  and  my  bones  are 
consumed. 

11  I  was  a  reproach  among  all 
mine  enemies,  but  especially  among 
my  neighbours,  and  a  fear  to  mine 
acquaintance :  they  that  did  see  me 
without  fled  from  me. 

12  I  am  forgotten  as  a  dead 
man  out  of  mind :  I  am  like  a 
broken    vessel. 

13  For  I  have  heard  the  slander 
of  many:  fear  was  on  every  side: 
while  they  took  counsel  together 
against  me,  they  devised  to  take 
away  my  life. 

14  But  I  trusted  in  thee,  O 
Lord  :  I  said.  Thou  art  my  God. 

15  My    times    are    in    thy    hand: 
deliver  me  from  the  hand  of  mine 
enemies,     and     from     them     that 
persecute  me. 

16  Make  thy  face  to  shine  upon 
thy  servant :  save  me  for  thy 
mercies'    sake. 

17  Let  me  not  be  ashamed,  O 
Lord;  for  I  have  called  upon 
thee :  let  the  wicked  be  ashamed, 
and  let  them  be  silent  in  the 
grave. 

18  Let  the  lying  lips  be  put  to 
silence ;  which  speak  grievous 
things  proudly  and  contemptuous- 
ly   against   the    righteous. 

19  Oh  how  great  is  thy  good- 
ness, which  thou  hast  laid  up  for 
them  that  fear  thee;  which  thou 
hast  wrought  for  them  that  trust 
in   thee   before   the   sons   of   men ! 


9.     Pity   me,    Lord,    for   I   am    in 
straits, 
Mine   eye  is  wasted   for  vex- 
ation. 
My    soul    and    my    body. 

10.  For   my   life   is   consumed   by 

grief. 
By    my   guilt   my    strength   is 
And  my  years  by  groaning; 

brought   low, 
And  my  bones  are  wasted; 

11.  I  have  become  a  reproach  of 

all    my   foes    not   only. 
But   to   my  neighbors   exceed- 
ingly, and  a  terror  to  mine 
acquaintance ; 
They     that     see     me     without 
have  fled   from  me. 

12.  I    am    forgotten,    like    a    dead 

man  out  of   mind, 
I   am   become   like   a   cast   off 
tool ; 

13.  For    I    have    heard    the    de- 

faming    of     many,     terror 
from   all   sides, 
When  they  conspired  together 
against    me    to    take    away 
my   life. 

14.  And  I — in  Thee  have  I  trust- 

ed. Lord, 
I     have     said,     My     God     art 
Thou; 

15.  In  Thy  hand  are  my  seasons ; 
Rescue    me    from    the    hands 

of    my    foes    and    from    my 
pursuers. 

16.  Make  Thy  face  kindle  on  Thy 

servant ; 
Save  me  in  Thy  love. 

\7.    Lord,   let   me   not   be   shamed, 
for  I  have  called  Thee ; 
Let  the  godless  be  shamed,  be 
silenced    in    hell. 

18.  Be  the  lying  lips  made  dumb. 
That  speak  against  the  right- 
eous   insolently. 

With  pride  and  scorn. 

19.  How  great  Thy  bounty  which 

Thou     hast     in     store     for 
them    that    fear   Thee, 
Hast  prepared   for  them   that 
hope    in    Thee    before    the 
sons   of   men. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


173 


20  Thou  shalt  hide  them  in  the 
secret  of  thy  presence  from  the 
pride  of  man :  thou  shalt  keep 
them  secretly  in  a  pavilion  from 
the    strife    of    tongues. 

21  Blessed  be  the  Lord  :  for  he 
hath  shewed  me  his  marvellous 
kindness   in   a    strong   city. 

22  For  I  said  in  my  haste,  I 
am  cut  off  from  before  thine 
eyes :  nevertheless  thou  heardest 
the  voice  of  my  supplications 
when  I  cried  unto  thee. 


23  O  love  the  Lord,  all  ye  his 
saints :  for  the  Lord  preserveth 
the  faithful,  and  plentifully  re- 
wardeth    the   proud    doer. 

24  Be  of  good  courage,  and  he 
shall  strengthen  your  heart,  all  ye 
that   hope   in   the   Lord. 


20. 


21. 


22. 


23 


Thou  hidest  them  in  the  se- 
cret of  Thy  presence  from 
wranglings  of  men, 

Thou  treasurest  them  in  Thy 
covert  from  strife  of 
tongues. 

Blessed  be  the  Lord,  for  mar- 
velous His  love  to  me  in  a 
strong  city. 

And  I — I  said  in  mine  alarm, 

I  am  cut  off  from  before 
Thee. 

Natheless  Thou  heardest  the 
voice   of    my   plea, 

In   my  crying   unto   Thee. 


Love    the    Lord,    all    ye    His 

saints. 
The    faithful    doth    the    Lord 

preserve. 
And      abundantly      rewardeth 

the    doer    of    insolence. 
24.    Be  strong  and  let  your  licart 

be   brave, 
All    ye    who    wait    upon    the 

Lord. 


Into  Thy  Hand  I  Commend  My  Spirit 

This  is  a  penitential  liturgy,  of  the  regular  form,  with 
alternating  parts  of  petition  and  complaint,  ending  with  assur- 
ance of  favorable  response,  to  be  used  in  connection  with 
sacrifice  for  deliverance  from  calamity  due  to  foreign  foes. 
It  uses  the  same  content  of  words,  phrases  and  ideas  with 
which  we  have  become  familiar  in  previous  Psalms,  and  which 
constituted  the  liturgical  vocabulary  of  that  time,  but  in  dif- 
ferent combinations.  It  moves  in  the  same  early  Temple  at- 
mosphere, where  the  Temple  was  literally  the  stronghold  of  the 
faith  against  the  heathen  foes. 

1-5.  The  opening  appeal  contains  in  itself  the  honorific  names, 
as  in  Ps.  18,  but  differently  worked  out.  There  are  also  phrases 
common  to  Ps.  11,  13  and  23,  but  used  here  in  original  combina- 
tions. The  first  three  verses  were  later  made  the  caption  of  a  new 
Psalm,  71,  which  see.  5-8.  The  confession  of  faith  in  Yahaweh, 
in  contrast  with  the  heathen  foes,  whom  he  hates.  Spirit  in  v.  5 
is  properly  spirit  in  the  material  sense,  breath,  i.  e.,  life.  He  has 
put  his  life  in  the  hand  of  Yahaweh,  who  has  ransomed  or  re- 
deemed  him,   a  military   figure.     Superstitious  vanities,   as    in 


174  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

English  Bible,  means  false  gods.  The  last  two  verses  of  this 
stanza  play  upon  straitness  and  confinement  as  signifying  dis- 
tress and  oppression,  and  hence  breadth  or  openness  as  the 
opposite.  9-13.  The  description  of  the  pitiful  state  of  the 
suppliant,  Judah,  or  the  king  of  Judah  for  his  people.  It  is 
in  part  cast  in  the  language  of  every  day  life,  as  of  a  man 
wasted  away  with  disease,  the  punishment  or  guilt  of  his  sins, 
so  afflicted  that  not  only  do  his  enemies  reproach  him,  but  all 
shun  him  and  are  amazed  at  him.  It  closes,  however,  with  a 
passage  (v.  13)  which  seems  to  show  that  this  is  figurative, 
and  that  the  real  calamity  is  invasion  of  enemies.  The  Psalm- 
ist makes  use  here  of  a  phrase,  terror  from  all  sides,  which,  as 
we  learn  from  Sam.  2  ^,  was  at  the  time  of  the  capture  of 
Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadrezzar  a  liturgical  terminus  technicus, 
used  on  occasions  of  solemn  assembly,  as  here.  It  was  a  fa- 
vorite phrase  with  Jeremiah  (Cf.  Jer.  6^\  20^°,  46=,  49 2^), 
and  in  his  indignation  at  being  put  in  the  stocks  by  Pashhur, 
the  priest,  he  applied  it  to  him  as  a  term  of  opprobrium  (Jer, 
20^).  The  meaning  of  the  phrase  is  explained  by  Ez.  32"'^®. 
Jeremiah,  himself  a  priest,  uses  a  language  strongly  affected 
by  his  familiarity  with  the  liturgies  of  the  Temple.  Strangely, 
contrary  to  all  experience,  modern  commentators  have  shown 
a  tendency  to  suppose  the  liturgies  to  be  dependent  on  Jere- 
miah, instead  of  the  reverse.  We  have  in  this  verse  a  picture 
of  the  plotting  of  the  nations  to  destroy  Judah  similar  to  that 
encountered  in  other  early  Psalms.  14-16.  The  final  appeal, 
preluding  or  accompanying  the  sacrifice.  Kindle  (or  let  hum 
or  lighten)  on  Thy  servant  Thy  face,  like  the  similar  phrase 
in  4^  seems  to  indicate  the  application  of  the  fire.  17-18.  As- 
suming favorable  answer  from  Yahaweh  this  stanza  asks  in 
more  or  less  familiar  terms  for  vengeance  on  the  enemy. 
Similarly  the  Persian  Gathas  (cf.  Yasna  XLIX)  wish  "the 
souls  of  the  reprobates,  who  speak  with  evil  words  and  harbor 
evil  consciences,"  a  dwelling  in  hell,  "the  lie's  abode."  19-20. 
Then  follows  the  rejoicing  in  Yahaweh's  bounty  {goodness) 
toward  his  people,  in  contrast  to  his  treatment  of  the  aliens 
{sons  of  men),  with  a  reference  to  the  divine  store  houses  in 
which  those  treasures  of  bounty  are  stored  (19),  as  in  ancient 
Babylonian  writings,  and  also  reference  to  the  protection  of 
the  sanctuary  (20),  similar  to  Ps.  27".  21-22.  Ascription  of 
praise  and  thanksgiving  to  Yahaweh  for  His  deliverance  of 
His   people.     Verse   22   gives   the   impression   of   having  some 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


175 


definite  action  or  condition  behind  it.  This  verse  is  utilized 
in  the  song  in  the  post-exilic  book  of  Jonah  (2*).  23-24.  The 
call  to  continued  faith  on  the  part  of  the  people  thus  delivered. 
The  first  half  of  v.  5  of  this  Psalm  is  reported  by  St.  Luke 
as  used  by  Jesus  on  the  cross.  This  has  made  the  Psalm 
a  special  favorite  with  Christians  before  approaching  death, 
and  it  is  recorded  as  so  used  by  numerous  Christian  heroes 
and  martyrs,  as  by  Thos.  a  Becket  when  struck  down  by 
Tracy,  by  John  Hus  and  Jerome  of  Prague,  by  Thos.  More 
and  Thos.  Cromwell,  by  Fisher,  Hooper  and  Ridley,  by  Egmont, 
by  Luther  and  Melancthon,  by  Tasso,  Charles  V  and  Christo- 
pher Columbus. 


XXXII 

A  Psalm  of  David,  Maschil. 


BLESSED    is    he    whose    trans- 
gression   is     forgiven,     zvhose 
sin  is  covered. 

2  Blessed  is  the  man  unto  whom 
the  Lord  imputeth  not  iniquity, 
and  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no 
guile. 

3  When  I  kept  silence,  my  bones 
waxed  old  through  my  roaring  all 
the  day   long. 

4  For  day  and  night  thy  hand 
was  heavy  upon  me:  my  moisture 
is  turned  into  the  drought  of 
summer.      Selah. 

5  I  acknowledged  my  sin  unto 
thee,  and  mine  iniquity  have  I  not 
hid.  I  said,  I  will  confess  my 
transgressions  unto  the  Lord;  and 
thou  forgavest  the  iniquity  of  my 
sin.      Selah. 

6  For  this  shall  every  one  that 
is  godly  pray  unto  thee  in  a  time 
when  thou  mayest  be  found :  sure- 
ly in  the  floods  of  great  waters 
they  shall  not  come  nigh  unto 
him. 

7  Thou  art  my  hiding  place ; 
thou  shalt  preserve  me  from  trou- 
ble ;  thou  shalt  compass  me  about 
with  songs  of  deliverance.     Selah, 


\.     Happy    he    whose    offence    is 
forgiven,  his  sin  atoned. 

2.     Happy  the  man  to  whom  the 
Lord  imputeth  not   guilt. 
In  whom  there  is  no  guile. 

i.    Because    I    kept    silence,    my 
bones  wasted 
Through  my  groaning  all  the 
day; 

4.  For    heavy    Thine    hand    day 

and  night  upon  me; 
Inert    I    became    as    by    sum- 
mer sirocco. 

Selah. 

5.  I    confess    to    Thee    my    sin, 

and  my  guilt   I  hide  not; 
I   said,  I   will   sacrifice  to  the 

Lord  for  mine  offence ; 
And    Thou   hast    forgiven    the 

guilt  of  my  sin. 

Selah. 

6.  Therefore   all   the   godly   pray 

to  Thee  at  the  time  of  ac- 
ceptance ; 
At  the  flood  the  great  waters 
do  not  come  nigh  him. 

7.  Thou     art     my     hiding-place, 

from  trouble  Thou  guardest 
me, 
God   of   my   song,   deliver  me 
from    them    that    surround 
me.  Selah. 


176 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


8  I  will  instruct  thee  and  teach 
thee  in  the  way  which  thou  shalt 
go :  I  will  guide  thee  with  mine 
eye. 

9  Be  ye  not  as  the  horse,  or 
as  the  mule,  which  have  no  under- 
standing: whose  mouth  must  be 
held  in  with  bit  and  bridle,  lest 
they   come   near   unto    thee. 

10  Many  sorrows  shall  be  to  the 
wicked :  but  he  that  trusteth  in 
the  Lord,  mercy  shall  compass 
him    about. 

11  Be  glad  in  the  Lord,  and  re- 
joice, ye  righteous:  and  shout 
for  joy,  all  ye  that  are  upright 
in  heart. 


8.  I  instruct  thee,  and  teach  thee 

the    way    thou    shalt   go, 
I  fasten  on  thee  Mine  eye. 

9.  Be     not     like     horse     or     like 

mule,  without  knowledge, 
With   bit    and    with    bridle    to 

tame    him. 
Till  he  be  brought  near  Thee. 

10.  Great  plagues   befall  the  god- 

less ; 
Who  trusteth  the  Lord,  mercy 
surroundeth    him. 

11.  Be     glad     in    the     Lord,    and 

exult,    ye    righteous. 
Shout   merrily,   all   ye   upright 
of  heart. 


A  Psalm  of  Atonement 

1,  2.  The  happiness  of  the  pious  Judeaii,  who  has  made 
atonement  for  his  sins  and  has  been  forgiven.  Spirit,  i.  e. 
breath,  is  here  an  emphatic  synonym  for  the  personal  pronoun, 
like  soul  (self),  heart,  glory,  etc.  It  came  later  to  have  a 
more  spiritual  content,  and  is  used  with  this  later  interpretation 
by  Jesus  of  Nathaniel  (Jno.  1*^).  3.  Kept  silence:  i.  e.,  did 
not  turn  to  God  and  confess  his  sins.  4.  The  suppliant  had  been 
sorely  afflicted  because  of  sins  unatoned.  We  have  in  part 
familiar  language  to  describe  his  misery  (cf.  with  v.  1.  Ps. 
31^°,  22^),  but  with  a  new  figure  drawn  from  the  summer 
sirocco,  with  its  effect  of  utter  exhaustion  and  all  goneness. 
The  text  here  is  difficult  and  I  have  corrected  from  the  Greek 
translation.  After  this  stanza  comes  a  selah,  indicating  an 
outburst  of  praise  and  shouting  which  accompanies  or  pre- 
pares for  a  sacrifice.  5.  The  suppliant  attributes  his  calami- 
ties to  guilt,  the  punishment  of  sin  committed,  offers  sac- 
rifice to  Yahaweh  therefor,  and  Is  forgiven.  The  word  which 
I  have  rendered  sacrifice  means  literally  offer  thank  offerings, 
or  perhaps  rather  sing  the  praise  songs  connected  with  such 
offerings.  The  selah  at  the  close  of  this  stanza  indicates  the 
outburst  of  praise  and  shouting  in  connection  therewith.  Per- 
haps the  two  selahs  (vv.  4,  5)  may  indicate  two  moments  of 
sacrifice,  the  one  for  the  sin  offering,  the  other  for  the  thank 
offering  following.  6,  7.  Then  follows  the  confident  assertion 
of  the  trust  of  the  pious  Judean  in  the  favorable  acceptance 
of  his  petitions  by  Yahaweh,  and  his  protection  by  Him, 
through   His   temple's    strength,    from   his   adversaries,    with   a 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  177 

prayer  for  deliverance  from  the  present  invasion,  which  is 
evidently  the  guilt  or  calamity  for  deliverance  from  which 
he  has  made  supplication.  I  have  corrected  6  *  after  the 
Greek  translation,  with  support  of  similar  passages  elsewhere 
in  the  Psalms  and  other  Scriptures.  The  picture  of  invasion 
as  a  flood  and  great  waters  is  the  same  used  in  Is.  8  ^*  of  the 
Assyrian  invasions,  and  further  references  in  the  Psalm  sug- 
gest that  it  was  primarily  a  liturgy  composed  for  use  in  those 
disasters,  in  which  case  the  original  suppliant  of  this  liturgy 
was  King  Hezekiah.  His  atonement  accepted  by  Yahaweh, 
this  flood  of  invasion,  the  punishment  of  his  sin,  cannot  touch 
the  pious  Judean,  safe  in  the  shelter  of  Yahaweh's  shrine. 
Hiding  place,  or  secret  place  (7)  is  the  familiar  designation  of 
that  shrine.  The  last  line  of  this  verse,  quite  unintelligible 
in  the  Hebrew,  has  been  corrected  from  the  Greek.  God  of  my 
song,  literally  my  song  or  praise  shout,  is  appealed  to  to  deliver 
them  from  the  Assyrians  who  encircle  the  fortress  of  Zion, 
The  Selah  indicates  the  praise  shouts  and  cries,  trumpet 
blasts  and  the  like  which  realize,  or  put  into  effect  that  sum- 
mons. The  three  sclaJis  of  this  Psalm  remind  us  of  the  three 
moments  in  the  sacrificial  liturgies  in  the  Herodian  temple  (cf. 
Introduction).  8,  9.  An  instruction  or  niaskil.  The  word  here 
rendered  instruct  is  the  technical  word  make  maskil,  and  connects 
itself  with  the  heading  of  the  Psalm  as  a  maskil  (cf.  Intro- 
duction). Apparently  v.  8  refers  to  the  Judean  suppliant, 
taught  by  Yahaweh  His  ritual  (maskil)  and  His  law  (way), 
beholding  the  face  of  Yahaweh,  i.  e.,  on  whom  Yahaweh 
fastens  His  eye.  Verse  9  is  the  Assyrian  king,  of  whom 
Isaiah  prophesied:  "I  will  put  my  hook  in  Thy  nose,  and 
my  bridle  in  thy  lips,  and  I  will  turn  thee  back  by  the  way  by 
which  thou  camest"  (2  K.  19-^).  The  Hebrew  text  is  dif- 
ficult and  perhaps  corrupt,  but  the  general  sense  is  plain. 
10,  11.  The  exultation  over  deliverance,  and  the  concluding 
praise  cry.  Here  the  order  of  the  previous  stanza  is  reversed, 
the  calamity  or  plagues  (a  word  frequently  used  with  regard 
to  the  foes  of  Israel)  of  the  Assyrian  come  first,  the  loving 
kindness  of  the  worshipper  of  Yahaweh  second,  to  bring  the 
latter  into  proximity  with  the  final  outburst  of  praise  (11). 
This  is  one  of  the  penitential  Psalms  of  the  Christian  Church, 
especially  assigned  to  Ash  Wednesday, 


178 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


XXXIII 


REJOICE    in    the    Lord,    O    ye 
righteous :  for  praise  is  come- 
ly   for   the    upright. 

2  Praise  the  Lord  with  harp : 
sing  unto  him  with  the  psaltery 
and  an   instrument  of   ten   strings. 

3  Sing  unto  him  a  new  song; 
play  skilfully  v/ith  a  loud  noise. 

4  For  the  word  of  the  Lord  s 
right;  and  all  his  works  are  done 
in    truth. 

5  He  loveth  righteousness  and 
judgment:  the  earth  is  full  of  the 
goodness  of  the  Lord. 

6  By  the  word  of  the  Lord 
were  the  heavens  made;  and  all 
the  host  of  them  by  the  breath 
of    his    mouth. 

7  He  gathereth  the  waters  of 
the  sea  together  as  a  heap:  he 
layeth  up  the  depth  in  store- 
houses. 

8  Let  all  the  earth  fear  the 
Lord:  let  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  world  stand  in  awe  of  him. 

9  For  he  spake,  and  it  was  done; 
he  commanded,   and   it   stood    fast. 


10  The  Lord  bringeth  the  coun- 
sel of  the  heathen  to  nought:  he 
maketh  the  devices  of  the 
pie    of   none    effect. 


peo- 


11  The  counsel  of  the  Lord 
standeth  for  ever,  the  thoughts  of 
his   heart   to   all   generations. 

12  Blessed  is  the  nation  whose 
bod  IS  the  Lord;  and  the  people 
whom  he  hath  chosen  for  his  own 
mheritance. 

13  The  Lord  looketh  from 
heaven;  he  beholdeth  all  the  sons 
of  men. 


1.  Rejoice  in  the  Lord,  ye  right- 

eous; 
Praise  beseemeth   the   upright. 

2.  Give  thanks  to  the  Lord  with 

the    harp ; 
Chant    to    Him    with    the    lute 
of  ten  strings. 

3.  Sing   unto   Him   a   new    song; 
Play       skilfully       with       glad 

shouting. 

4.  For    the    word    of    the    Lord 

is    right, 
And  all  His  work  is  faithful. 

5.  He    loveth    righteousness    and 

justice; 
The  earth  is   full  of  the  love 
of    the    Lord, 

6.  By  the  word  of  the  Lord  the 

heavens    were    made, 
And     all     their    host    by    the 
breath   of   His  mouth; 

7.  Gathering    as    in    a    flask    the 

waters    of    the    sea. 
Storing     in     treasure     houses 
the   deeps, 

8.  Let  all  the   earth   fear  before 

the    Lord, 
Let  all  that  dwell  in  the  world 
stand   in   awe ; 

9.  For    He    spake,    and    it    was 

done. 
He   commanded,   and   it   stood 
fast. 

10.  The    Lord    hath    annulled    the 

counsel   of   the   nations, 
The  plans  of   the  peoples    He 
hath  made  of  none  effect; 

11.  The     counsel     of     the     Lord 

standeth   fast   for  ever. 
The  plans  of  His  heart   from 
age  to  age. 

12.  Happy   the    nation   whose   God 

is   the   Lord, 
The    people    that     He     chose 
for    His    inheritance. 

13.  From  heaven  the  Lord  looked 

forth, 
He  beheld  all  the  children  of 
men; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


179 


14  From  the  place  of  his  habi- 
tation he  looketh  upon  all  the 
inhabitants   of   the   earth, 

15  He  fashioneth  their  hearts 
alike ;  he  considereth  all  their 
works, 

16  There  is  no  king  saved  by 
the  multitude  of  a  host :  a  mighty 
man  is  not  delivered  by  much 
strength. 

17  A  horse  is  a  vain  thing  for 
safety :  neither  shall  he  deliver 
any   by  his   great    strength. 

18  Behold,  the  eye  of  the  Lord 
is  upon  them  that  fear  him,  upon 
them    that   hope   in   his   mercy; 

19  To  deliver  their  soul  from 
death,  and  to  keep  them  alive  in 
famine. 

20  Our  soul  waiteth  for  the 
Lord  :  he  is  our  help  and  our 
shield, 

21  For  our  heart  shall  rejoice 
in  him,  because  we  have  trusted 
in  his  holy  name. 

22  Let  thy  mercy,  O  Lord,  be 
upon  us,  according  as  we  hope  in 
thee. 


14.  From    the    habitation    of    His 

dwelling   He  gazed 
Upon    all    that    dwell    in    the 
earth, 

15.  He      that      fashioneth      their 

hearts   altogether. 
That    understandeth    all    their 
works. 

16.  No  king  is  saved  by  a  mighty 

host. 
Nor     warrior     delivered     by 
great  strength ; 

17.  Vain    is   the   horse    for    salva- 

tion. 
And  by  his  mighty  power  he 
rescueth    not. 

18.  Lo,     the     eye     of     the     Lord 

on   them  that   fear   Him, 
On    them    that    trust    in    His 
love, 

19.  To     deliver    their    life     from 

death, 
And    to    keep    them    alive    in 
the    famine. 

20.  We     have     waited      for     the 

Lord, 
Our    strength    and    our    shield 
is    He. 

21.  For    in    Him    our    heart    re- 

joiceth; 
For    in    His    holy    name    we 
have  trusted. 

22.  Let    Thy    love    be    upon    us, 

Lord, 
As    we    have    put    our    trust 
in  Thee. 


Trust  in  Thee 

This  psalm  is  based  on  what  we  may  call  the  motto  of 
Psalm  32,  trust  in  Yahazueh,  with  which  that  Psalm  begins, 
and  is  thus  a  continuation  of  the  theme  of  that  Psalm,  to  which 
it  was  immediately  attached  by  an  opening  ascription  of  praise 
taken  from  the  closing  ascription  of  the  former  Psalm.  It  was 
added  to  that  Psalm  without  heading,  after  the  Exile,  to 
compose  with  it  a  new  liturgy.  It  represents  the  new  religion, 
and  belongs  in  thought  with  Psalms  90-99,  and  Deutero-Isaiah 
in  the  early  post-exilian  period.  It  is  one  of  the  category 
of    Psalms    dealing    with    the    wonderful    works    of    God,    but 


180  THE  PSALAIS  AS  LITURGIES 

from  a  point  of  view  very  different  from  the  Psalms  with 
which  we  have  hitherto  been  deaHng.  It  opens  and  closes  with 
two  line  stanzas,  the  one  calling  on  the  righteous  to  praise, 
the  other  invoking  the  love  of  God  in  answer  to  the  faith  of 
His  people,  the  first  line  of  each  stanza  containing  the  name 
of  Yahaweh.  Each  of  the  intervening  stanzas,  for  the  most 
part  of  four  lines,  contains  similarly  Yahaweh  in  its  first  line, 
except  the  central  stanza  (if  we  so  divide  it),  where  each  line 
of  the  three  verses  contains  the  name.  Evidently  this  is  part 
of  the  scheme  of  the  Psalm,  as  is  also  probably  the  number 
of  the  verses,  22  in  all,  the  number  of  the  letters  of  the 
Hebrew  alphabet,  although  it  is  not  an  alphabetic  acrostic. 
1.  It  commences  with  the  usual  brief  call  to  praise,  derived 
from  Psalm  32,  followed  by  a  (2,  3)  praise  song  of  the  same 
character  as  those  in  the  Prayer  of  Moses,  90-99,  with  mention 
of  musical  instruments,  and  the  new  song  (cf.  40  ^  95  ^,  98  \ 
144°,  149^).  This  is  peculiarly  characteristic  of  that  collection 
of  Psalms  and  of  Deutero-Isaiah,  the  call,  as  it  were,  to  a  new 
birth  of  all  things  in  the  nation  new  born  from  the  Exile — 
a  new  name,  new  heavens,  new  earth  (Is.  42^,  48^,  43  ^^  62  2, 
65",  66");  but  its  beginnings  are  earher  (cf.  Jer.  31  ^ 
Ez.  11  ^  18  '\  36  2«).  4,  5.  The  word  of  Yahaweh  in  His  deal- 
ings with  man,  love  (vv.  5  and  22),  also  translated  mercy  and 
loving  kindness,  is  of  the  same  root  as  the  word  commonly  ren- 
dered saints,  and  indicates  the  same  quality  in  each.  6,  7.  The 
word  as  creative  power,  and  the  same  conception  of  the  creation 
of  the  world  which  we  find  in  Deutero-Isaiah  and  in  Gen.  1 ;  with 
a  cosmogony  like  the  Babylonian,  which  meets  us  also  in  Job, 
and  the  book  of  Enoch.  The  seas  are  shut  up  in  a  bottle,  or 
skin,  and  the  subterranean  waters  are  kept  in  store  houses 
ready  for  use  (cf.  Job  38*'').  These  store  houses  were  in  the 
underworld  in  Babylonian  cosmogony  and  were  called  hit  apsi, 
house  of  the  waters.  8,  9.  In  view  of  the  power  of  His  word, 
the  earth  and  all  that  dwell  in  it  are  called  on  to  fear  Him. 
For  a  similar  use  of  ivord  in  Babylonian  psalmody  compare  the 
following  from  a  hymn  to  Sin,  the  moon,  from  Ashurbanipal's 
library : 

"When  Thy  word  resounds  on  earth,  green  herbs  are  formed ; 

Thy  word  makes  wide  court  and  barn,  broadens  the  means  of  livelihood; 

Thy  word  makes  truth  and  righteousness  arise,  that  men  speak  truth." 
10-12.    All  other  nations  are  outside  of  His  benign  providence, 
for  their   counsels    and    plans    are    the    opposite   of    His,    only 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


181 


Israel  owns  Him  as  God  and  is  owned  by  Him  as  His  people. 
13-17.  Then  follow  two  stanzas  telling  of  His  search  of  the  earth 
(cf.  Ps.  11  *),  where  He  finds  the  nations  putting  their  trust 
only  in  physical  might,  which  is  vain,  but,  18,  19,  Israel  trusts 
in  Him,  His  eye  is  on  them  (34^°),  and  by  Him  their  lives  are 
saved  alike  in  war  and  famine.  20,  21.  Then  the  profession  of 
faith  and  hope  and,  22,  the  benediction  like  invocation. 


XXXIV 

A  Psalm  of  David,  when  he  changed  his  behavior  before  Abimelech:  who  drove  him 

away,  and  he  departed. 


I  WILL    bless   the    Lord    at    all 
times :    his    praise   shall   contin- 
ually  be   in    my   mouth. 

2  My  soul  shall  make  her  boast 
in  the  Lord  :  the  humble  shall 
hear  thereof,  and  be  glad. 

3  O  magnify  the  Lord  with 
me,  and  let  us  exalt  his  name 
together. 

4  I  sought  the  Lord,  and  he 
heard  me,  and  delivered  me  from 
all   my   fears. 

5  They  looked  unto  him,  and 
were  lightened :  and  their  faces 
were  not   ashamed. 

6  This  poor  man  cried,  and  the 
Lord  heard  him,  and  saved  him 
out  of   all  his   troubles. 

7  The  angel  of  the  Lord  en- 
campeth  round  about  them  that 
fear  him,   and   delivereth   them. 

8  O  taste  and  see  that  the 
Lord  is  good :  blessed  is  the  man 
that    trusteth    in    him. 

9  O  fear  the  Lord,  ye  his  saints: 
for  there  is  no  want  to  them 
that   fear  him. 

10  The  young  lions  do  lack, 
and  suffer  hunger:  but  they  that 
seek  the  Lord  shall  not  want  any 
good  thing. 


1.  Aleph — I  would  bless  the  Lord 

at  all   times ; 
His   praise   continually   in   my 
mouth. 

2.  Beth — To     the     Lord     I     sing 

praises ; 
Let    the    needy    hear    and    be 
glad. 

3.  Gimel — Magnify       the       Lord 

with  me. 
And    let    us    exalt    His    name 

together. 
4     Daleth — I      inquired      of      the 

Lord,  and  He  answered  me. 
And    delivered    me    from    all 

my    fears. 

5.  He — They    looked    unto    Him 

and  were  lightened. 
And     their     faces     were     not 
darkened. 

6.  Zayin — These  poor  called  and 

the  Lord  heard. 
And    saved    them    out    of    all 
their    distress. 

7.  Heth — The  angel  of  the  Lord 

campeth 
About    them    that    fear    Him, 
and   rescueth   them. 

8.  Teth — Taste  and  see  that  the 

Lord  is  bountiful, 
Happy   the   man   that   trusteth 
in    Him. 

9.  Yodh — His     holy     ones     fear 

the   Lord, 

For     there     is     no     lack     to 
them    that    fear    Him. 
10.     Kaf — Lions    have    lacked    and 
gone    hungry. 

But  no  good  thing  is  lack- 
ing to  them  that  inquire  of 
the  Lord, 


• 


182 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


11  Come,  ye  children,  hearken 
unto  me:  I  will  teach  you  the 
fear  of   the   Lord. 

12  What  man  t^  he  that  de- 
sireth  life,  and  loveth  many  days, 
that  he  may   see  good? 

13  Keep  thy  tongue  from  evil, 
and   thy   lips    from   speaking   guile. 

14  Depart  from  evil,  and  do 
good;    seek   peace,    and    pursue    it. 

15  The  eyes  of  the  Lord  are 
upon  the  righteous,  and  his  ears 
are   open   unto   their  cry. 

16  The  face  of  the  Lord  is 
against  them  that  do  evil,  to  cut 
off  the  remembrance  of  them  from 
the   earth. 

17  The  righteous  cry,  and  the 
Lord  heareth,  and  delivereth  them 
out   of   all   their   troubles. 

18  The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  them 
that  are  of  a  broken  heart;  and 
saveth  such  as  be  of  a  contrite 
spirit. 

19  Many  are  the  afflictions  of 
the  righteous :  but  the  Lord  de- 
livereth him   out   of   them   all. 

20  He  keepeth  all  his  bones : 
not  one  of   them   is   broken. 

21  Evil  shall  slay  the  wicked : 
and  they  that  hate  the  righteous 
shall  be   desolate. 

22  The  Lord  redeemeth  the  soul 
of  his  servants :  and  none  of 
them  that  trust  in  him  shall  be 
desolate. 


11.  Lamedh — Come,    ye    children, 

hearken  unto  me. 
The   fear  of   the   Lord   I   will 
teach   you. 

12.  Mim— Who    is    the    man    that 

is   eager    for   life, 
That  loveth  long  days  to   see 
good? 

13.  Nun — Keep    thy    tongue    from 

evil, 
And    thy    lips    from    speaking 
deceit. 

14.  Samekh — Turn   from  evil  and 

do  good, 
Seek    peace    and    ensue    it, 

15.  Ayin — The   eyes    of    the   Lord 

are  toward   the   righteous,  _ 
And    His    ears    toward    their 
prayer. 

16.  Pe— The     face    of     the    Lord 

is    against   the    wicked. 
To    cut    off    from    the    earth 
their   remembrance. 

17.  Zadhe— They     cried,     and    the 

Lord    heard. 
And    from    all    their    distress 
He   delivered   them. 

18.  Qof — The     Lord    is     nigh     to 

the  broken  in  heart, 
And  the  contrite  of  spirit  He 
saveth. 

19.  Resh— Many    the    ills    of    the 

righteous, 
But   from   them   all   the   Lord 
rescueth  him, 

20.  Shin  —  Preserving      all      his 

bones ; 
Not    one    of    them    is    broken. 

21.  Tau — Evil     slayeth     the     god- 

less, 
And   the  haters  of  the   right- 
eous   are    found    guilty. 

22.  The   Lord   redeemeth   the   life 

of    His    servants. 
And   none  that   trust  in   Him 
are    found   guilty. 


The  Fear  of  the  Lord 

This  is  a  psalm  for  the  solemn  assembly,  or  fast  day,  in  the 
form  of  an  alphabetic  acrostic,  to  teach  the  fear  of  Yahaweh, 
i.  e.,  the  reHgion  of  Israel.  Like  Ps.  25  it  omits  the  letter  Wau 
after  He,  making  the  alphabet  consist  of  21  instead  of  22  letters. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  183 

Verses   1-3  are  the  summons   to  praise,  with  which  Psalms 
commonly    commence.      Praise    (1,    2),    the    tehillah,    or    sac- 
rificial   praise     song.       The    needy    or    poor     (6,     the     same 
Hebrew  word)   designates  the  Israelites  as  against  the  outside 
world.    Verses  4-6  represent  the  Israelites  inquiring  with  sac- 
rifice at  Yahaweh's  altar.     To  them  Yahaweh  shows  His  face 
in    the    accepting    fire,    lightening  their    faces.      The    darkened 
face    means    similarly    non-acceptance    of    sacrifice.      Compare 
the  story  of  Elijah  and  the  priests  of  Baal  on  Carmel  (IK.  18), 
where  Yahaweh  comes   in  the  fire  to  accept  Elijah's   sacrifice 
at  his  call,  but  Baal  does  not  answer  not  appear  in  the  fire. 
Fears,  v.  4,  is  the  same  word  used  in  the  ritual  terminus  tech- 
nicus,   fear   on    all   sides,    to   designate    surrounding    foes    and 
their  gods.     The  closing  clause  of  6  is   repeated  in  substance 
in   17,   the  two  serving  as   refrains   to  mark  two   moments   in 
the  development  of  the  thought.    Verses  7-10  tell  of  Yahaweh's 
protection  of   His  people,  and  His  bounty    (goodness)    toward 
them,  the  ancient  and  to  the  end  the  popular   religion:   God's 
gift  of  good  things  to  the  faithful,  of  calamity  to  the  wicked 
(cf.    the    discussion   of    this    in   tiie   book   of    Job,    and   Jesus' 
refutation  of  it  on  various  occasions,  as  recorded  in  the  Gos- 
pels).    For  the  angels  of  the  Lord  camping  about  His  people, 
see  the  story  of   EHsha    (2   K.   6^''),  and  the  play  upon   the 
place  name  Mahanaim    (camps)    in   the   story   of  Jacob    (Gen. 
32  ^^     At  a  much  later  period  this  developed  into  the  doctrine 
of  the  guardian  angel,  Michael  (cf.  Dn.  12  i).     Holy  ones  (9), 
the  special  phraseology  of  the  Jerusalem  Temple.    Verses  11-14 
contain   the   ethical   code   of    the    religion    of    Yahaweh,   much 
as   we    have    met    it    in    previous    Psalms    (cf.    14,    24),    with 
the   emphasis   on   truth   over   against   the   lie.      There   is    here 
also  the  same  emphasis  on  the  reward  of  the  true  religion  in 
earthly  bounty  as  in  Deuteronomy,  and,  also  like  Deuteronomy, 
the    duty    of    teaching    this    religion   to    the   children    (v.    11). 
Peace   (v.  14)   means  also  prosperity,  and  it  is  always  difficult 
to   determine  which   idea   predom.inates.     Both   are   the   reward 
of    doing   good.     Verses    15-17   picture    the    contrast    between 
God's   dealing  with   His   own  and  with   the   heathen:   the   one 
He   answers,   delivering  them   out   of  their   distress;    from   the 
other  He  averts  His  face  to  their  utter  destruction.     The  they 
of  v.  17  is  of  course  the  righteous  of  15.    Verses  18-21  develop 
the  contrast  more  fully,  but  with  a  new  phraseology  of  broken 
hearts  and  beaten  down  spirits,  which  plays  a  large  part  later. 


184 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


and  especially  in  the  early  post-exilian  period  (of.  Ps.  51  "  , 
Is.  57",  66  2).  Found  guilty  (21)  is  the  ritual  phrase  for 
the  man  suffering  calamity  as  the  result  of  his  sin.  This  verse 
constitutes  the  condemnation  of  the  godless,  i.  e.,  the  heathen, 
so  common  before  the  final  praise  and  exultation.  The  latter, 
using  the  same  language,  reversed  for  the  faithful  Israelites 
(22),  is  here,  as  in  Ps.  25,  a  liturgical  doxology,  purposely 
outside  of  the  acrostic,  and  like  that  Psalm  it  uses  the  same 
military  figure  of  the  redemption  or  ransom  from  death  of  a 
captive. 

This  Psalm  is  freely  used  in  the  New  Testament,  and  vv.  12-16 
are  cited  in  1  Pet.  3  ^°'^^  It  was  used  as  a  Communion  Psalm 
in  the  ancient  Church  because  of  v.  9. 


XXXV 

A  Psalm  of  David. 


pLEAD  my  cause,  O  Lord,  with 
•*■       them    that    strive    with    me: 
fight  against  them  that  fight  against 
me. 

2  Take  hold  of  shield  and  buck- 
ler,   and    stand   up    for   mine   help. 

3  Draw  out  also  the  spear,  and 
stop  the  way  against  them  that 
persecute  me :  say  unto  my  soul, 
I  am  thy  salvation. 

4  Let  them  be  confounded  and 
put  to  shame  that  seek  after  my 
soul:  let  them  be  turned  back 
and  brought  to  confusion  that  de- 
vise  my   hurt. 

5  Let  them  be  as  chaflF  before 
the  wind:  and  let  the  angel  of 
the  Lord  chase  them. 

6  Let  their  way  be  dark  and 
slippery:  and  let  the  angel  of  the 
Lord   persecute   them. 

7  For  without  cause  have  they 
hid  for  me  their  net  in  a  pit, 
which  without  cause  they  have 
digged    for   my   soul. 

8  Let  destruction  come  upon 
him  at  unawares;  and  let  his  net 
that  he  hath  hid  catch  himself : 
into  that  very  destruction  let  him 
fall. 


1.  Strive,    Lord,   with   them    that 

strive    with   me, 
War  with  them  that  war  with 
me; 

2.  Grasp   shield  and  buckler, 
And  arise  to  my  help, 

3.  And    draw    sword    and    block 

the    way    against    my    pur- 
suers; 
Say  to  me :  Thy  victory  am  I. 

4.  Shamed     and     dishonored     be 

they   that   seek   my   life ; 
Turned     backward     and     dis- 
mayed   they    that    plan    my 
hurt. 

5.  Be   they  like  chaflF  before  the 

wind, 
And    the    angel    of    the    Lord 
driving! 

0.     Be    their   way    dark   and    slip- 
pery, 
And    the    angel    of    the    Lord 
pursuing  theml 

7.  Because    without    cause    they 

hid  their  net  for  me, 
Without    cause    digged    a    pit 
for  me ; 

8.  Let     ruin     overtake    him     un- 

awares, 
And  his  net  that  he  hid  catch 

himself ; 
In  ruin  let  him  fall  therein. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


185 


9  And  my  soul  shall  be  joyful 
in  the  Lord:  it  shall  rejoice  in 
his    salvation. 

10  All  my  bones  shall  say,  Lord, 
who  is  like  unto  thee,  which  de- 
liverest  the  poor  from  him  that 
is  too  strong  for  him,  yea,  the 
poor  and  the  needy  from  him 
that  spoileth  him? 

11  False  witnesses  did  rise  up; 
they  laid  to  my  charge  things 
that   I  knew  not. 

12  They  rewarded  me  evil  for 
good    to   the   spoiling   of    my   soul. 

13  But  as  for  me,  when  they 
were  sick,  my  clothing  was  sack- 
cloth :  I  humbled  my  soul  with 
fasting;  and  my  prayer  returned 
into    mine    own    bosom. 

14  I  behaved  myself  as  though 
he  had  been  my  friend  or  brother : 
I  bowed  down  heavily,  as  one 
that   mourneth  for  his   mother. 

15  But  in  mine  adversity  they 
rejoiced,  and  gathered  themselves 
together:  yea,  the  abjects  gathered 
themselves  together  against  me, 
and  I  knew  it  not ;  they  did  tear 
me,   and   ceased   not : 

16  With  hypocritical  mockers  in 
feasts,  they  gnashed  upon  me  with 
their    teeth. 

17  Lord,  how  long  wilt  thou 
look  on?  rescue  my  soul  from 
their  destructions,  my  darling  from 
the  lions. 

18  I  will  give  thee  thanks  in  the 
great  congregation :  I  will  praise 
thee   among   much  people. 

19  Let  not  them  that  are  mine 
enemies  wrongfully  rejoice  oyer 
me:  neither  let  them  wink  with 
the  eye  that  hate  me  without  a 
cause. 

20  For  they  speak  not  peace: 
but  they  devise  deceitful  matters 
against  them  that  are  quiet  in  the 
land. 

21  Yea,  they  opened  their  mouth 
wide  against  me,  and  said.  Aha, 
aha,  our  eye  hath  seen  it. 


9.  And  I  will  exult  in  the  Lord, 

Rejoice   in   His   salvation. 

10.  All    my    bones    shall    say : 
Lord,  who  like  Thee, 
Saving     the     poor     from     the 

mightier   than   he, 
The  poor  and  needy  from  his 
spoiler? 

11.  There  arise  false  witnesses; 
Of  what  I  know  not  they  ac- 
cuse  me; 

12.  They     reward     me,     evil     for 

good. 
To  make  me  childless. 

13.  But    I — in    their    sickness 
Sackcloth   my   clothing, 
With    fasting    I    afflicted    me; 
And   prayer    returneth   on   my 

bosom. 

14.  As  for  my  kinsman  or  brother 

I    marched, 
As  in  mourning  for  a  mother, 
in   filth   I   bowed   down. 

15.  But    in    my     fall,    they    were 

glad    and    gathered, 
They     gathered     against     me, 

smiting  when  I  knew  not ; 
They   rent   without  ceasing; 
!6.     They    tried    me    with    scornful 

mocking. 
Gnashing    on    me    with    their 

teeth. 

17.  Lord,  when  wilt  Thou  see? 
Recover  me  out  of  their  ruin, 
From   the   lions   my  life. 

18.  I    thank    Thee    in    the    great 

assembly, 
Among     countless     people     I 
praise  Thee. 

19.  Let     my     foes     not     triumph 

treacherously, 
My   causeless    haters,    winking 
the  eye. 

20.  For    they    wish    no    godspeed; 
Against    quiet    dwellers    they 

devise  plans  of  guile; 

21.  And  they  grinned  at  me  with 

their  mouth,  and  said : 
Aha,   aha,  our  eye  hath  seen. 


186 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


22  This  thou  hast  seen,  O  Lord  : 
keep  not  silence :  O  Lord,  be  not 
far   from   me. 

23  Stir  up  thyself,  and  awake 
to  my  judgment,  even  unto  my 
cause,   my   God   and   my   Lord. 

24  Judge  me,  O  Lord  my  God. 
according  to  thy  righteousness ; 
and  let  them  not  rejoice  over  me. 

25  Let  them  not  say  in  their 
hearts.  Ah,  so  would  we  have  it : 
let  them  not  say,  We  have  swal- 
lowed him  up. 

26  Let  them  be  ashamed  and 
brought  to  confusion  together  that 
rejoice  at  mine  hurt:  let  them 
be  clothed  with  shame  and  dis- 
honour that  magnify  themselves 
against  me. 

27  Let  them  shout  for  joy,  and 
be  glad,  that  favour  my  righteous 
cause:  yea,  let  them  say  continu- 
ally, Let  the  Lord  be  magnified, 
which  hath  pleasure  in  the  pros 
perity  of  his   servant. 

28  And  my  tongue  shall  speak 
of  thy  righteousness  and  of  thy 
praise    all    the    day    long. 


22.  Thou  hast  seen.  Lord;  be  not 

still ; 
My  Lord,  abide  not  far  from 
me. 

23.  Awake    and    stir    in    my    de- 

fence, 
My  God  and  my  Lord,  in  my 
strife. 

24.  Decide     for     me     after     Thy 

righteousness.  Lord,  my  God, 
And     let    them     not    triumph 
over  me. 

25.  Let    them    not    say    in    their 

heart :    Aha, 
Nor  for  themselves  say :     We 
have   swallowed   him. 

26.  Be     they     shamed     and     dis- 

mayed  altogether 
Who    rejoice   in   my   hurt; 
Be    clothed    with    shame    and 

disgrace 
That     magnify    themselves 

against   me. 

27.  Let   them    shout   and   be   glad 
That  care  for  my  right ; 

And     let     them     say     alway: 

Great  is   the   Lord, 
Who  careth  for  His  servant's 

peace  I 

28.  And  my  tongue  shall  sing  of 

Thy    righteousness. 
Thy  praise  all  the  day. 


Psalm  of  Strife 

Without  the  usual  call  to  praise  this  Psalm  plunges  in  medias 
res  with  1-3,  a  call  to  Yahaweh  for  help  in  battle,  in  vivid 
and  stirring  language.  It  paints  an  extremely  anthropomorphic 
picture  of  Yahaweh  as  a  mighty  warrior,  armed  with  shield 
and  buckler,  with  His  sword  holding  back  the  pursuing  foes, 
and  giving  Judah  the  victory.  4-6.  Prayer  for  discomfiture 
of  the  foe.  In  v.  5  wind  and  angel  of  the  Lord  are  used  in 
parallels  in  a  way  which  suggests  104  *.  The  picture  of  the 
angel  of  Yahaweh  pursuing  the  fleeing  foe  down  one  of  those 
Judean  ravines,  slippery  and  in  the  dark,  is  equally  vivid  and 
equally  anthropomorphic  with  the  first  stanza,  but  here  it  is 
the  angel  of  Yahaweh  who  acts.  Verses  4-6  are  repeated  for 
thought,  but  with  different  words  and  figures,  in  69  "-^^  and 
109®"").      7,    8.     A    picture    of    the    wanton    assault    of    the 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  187 

enemy  and  a  petition   for  his  catastrophe  therefor,  in  figures 
similar  to  those  contained  in  previous  Psalms  (Cf.  7^^^).     9,  10, 
exultation   of   Judah    over   the   downfall   of  the    foes,   and   the 
deliverance  of  himself,  the  poor  and  needy,  in  familiar  phrases. 
We   have    in   this    Psalm    the  same    sort    of    alternation  which 
we   have   met   in   previous   penitentials,    from   pious   Judah    to 
11,  12,  the  godless  foes,  false  witnesses,  as  in  27^-.     Through- 
out this  Psalm  we  have,  combined  with  battle  terms,  the  terms 
of    a   legal    trial,    war    conceived    of    as    a  trial    in    the    divine 
assizes.     Make  me   childless,  destroy  root  and   stock.      13,    14. 
The  brotherly   and   pious  conduct   of   Judah  toward  his   neigh- 
bors, fasting  and  praying  in  their  sickness,  mourning  in  their 
grief.     Returneth   on   my    bosom,   i.    e.,    beating   his  breast    in 
prayer.     Marched,  i.  e.,  in  the  funeral  procession.     Filth,  i.  e., 
the    unwashed    condition    of    the   mourner,    purposely  lying    in 
filth.     Cf.  Job  on  the  dung  heap.     15,  16.     The  contrary  atti- 
tude  of   the    heathen    toward  Judah,    in    language    and  figures 
recalling  22"-".     17,  18.     A  how  long  in  language  resembling 
22  ^^'^i^     My   life,   literally  my   darling,   as   in   22  -°.      Adonai, 
Lord,   is   used  in   v.    17;    apparently   a   later    substitution    for 
Yahaweh,  Lord.     19-21.    A  further  description  of  and  appeal 
against  the  godless  foes,  who  are  deceitful  and  liars,  in  con- 
trast with   the   truthful  and   honest   worshippers   of   Yahaweh. 
They  wish  no  godspeed   {peace   he   unto   you),  the  traditional 
greeting   of    the    Semitic    East,    still    used    among    the    Arabs, 
and  now  being  taken  up  by  the  Jews  of  Palestine,  but  wage 
war  with   craft   and   rnockery  against  the  peaceful   inhabitants 
of   Judah.     22-24.    The  appeal   to  Yahaweh,   as  the   righteous 
judge,  to  give  decision  for  His  people.     My  Lord  in  v.  22  is 
probably   a   later   substitution    for   my    God.      Awake  and   stir 
suggest  the  approach  of  the  sacrificial  moment.     25,  26.     The 
final  prayer  for  the  punishment  of  the  godless  enemy.    27,  28. 
The  shout  of  triumph  and  acceptance  of  the  sacrifice.     Tongue 
shall  sing,  the  word  here  translated  sing  means  really  make  in- 
strumental music,  the  same  root  as  higgaion  (see  Introduction), 
and   the   combination   is   pregnant,   to   express   union    of    voice 
and    instrument.     Praise    is    the    tehillah,    or    sacrificial    praise 

song. 

This  Psalm  uses  the  familiar  liturgical  language  and  motives 
of  earlier  Psalms  (cf.  7,  9,  13,  22,  27),  but  we  find  also 
affinities  with  later  liturgies  (40,  69,  70  and  71,  also  Ex.  15). 
The  whole  tone  and  temper  of  the  Psalm  savors  of  the  fanati- 


188 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


cism  and  bitterness  testified  to  by  the  book  of  Jeremiah  for 
the  half  century  preceding  the  capture  of  Jerusalem  by 
Nebuchadrezzar. 

Verse  23  was  the  motto  on  the  flagship  of  the  Spanish 
Armada.  This  Psalm  was  read  in  the  General  Congress  at 
Philadelphia  on  receipt  of  the  news  of  the  bombardment  of 
Boston,  being  the  first  Psalm  in  the  Anglican  Psalter  for 
that  day,  the  seventh  of  the  month,  and  was  by  all  felt  to  be 
especially  suited  to  the  occasion.  (Irving,  Life  of  Washing- 
ton, I,  460.) 


XXXVI 

The  Chief   Musician,  A   Psalm  of  David  the   servant  of  the  Lx)rd. 


THE  transgression  of  the  wick- 
ed saith  within  my  heart, 
that  there  is  no  fear  of  God 
before  his  eyes. 

2  For  he  flattereth  himself  in 
his  own  eyes,  until  his  iniquity  be 
found  to  be   hateful. 

3  The  words  of  his  mouth  are 
iniquity  and  deceit :  he  hath  left 
off  to  be  wise,  and  to  do  good. 

4  He  deviseth  mischief  upon  his 
bed;  he  setteth  himself  in  a  way 
that  is  not  good;  he  abhorreth 
not    evil. 

5  Thy  mercy,  O  Lord,  is  in  the 
heavens ;  and  thy  faithfulness 
reacheth  unto  the  clouds. 

6  Thy  righteousness  is  like  the 
great  mountains;  thy  judgments 
are  a  great  deep :  O  Lord,  thou 
preservest  man  and  beast. 

7  How  excellent  is  thy  loving- 
kindness,  O  God  I  therefore  the 
children  of  men  put  their  trust 
under  the  shadow  of  thy  wings. 

8  They  shall  be  abundantly  sat- 
isfied with  the  fatness  of  thy 
house ;  and  thou  shalt  make  them 
drink  of  the  river  of  thy  pleas- 
ures. 

9  For  with  thee  is  the  fountain 
of  life:  in  thy  light  shall  we  see 
light. 


1.  Oracle     of     the     sin     of     the 

wicked  in  his  inner  heart, 

There  is   no    fear  of   God  be- 
fore  his   eyes ; 

2.  For     he     hath     smoothed     his 

god    with    his    eyes, 
To    find    his    guilt,    to    make 
atonement. 

3.  The  words  of  his  mouth,  idols 

and   deceit ; 
He    hath    ceased    from    right 
worship,    from    doing    good. 

4.  Evil  he  planneth  on   his   bed ; 
He   setteth   himself   in    a   way 

not   good, 
Wrong  he   doth   not   abhor. 

5.  The-  Lord, — in  the  heavens  His 

mercy, 
His   truth   on   the  clouds. 

6.  Thy     righteousness     like     the 

mountains  of   God ; 
Thy      judgments,      the      vast 

deep; 
Man    and   beast   Thou    savest, 

Lord. 

7.  How    splendid   Thy   mercy,   O 

God, 
And   Israel    findeth   refuge   in 
the    shadow    of    Thy    wings. 

8.  They  are  sated  from  the   fat- 

ness of  Thy  house. 
And  the  river  of  Thy  delights 
watereth  them. 

9.  For    with    Thee    is    the    foun- 

tain of   life; 
By  Thy  light  we   see  light. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  189 

10  O  continue  thy  loving  kindness  '   10.  Extend    Thy    mercy    to    them 
unto    them    that    know    thee ;    and  |  that  know   Thee, 

thy    righteousness    to    the    upright  (  And    Thy    righteousness    unto 

in  heart.                                                    (  the    upright    of    heart. 

11  Let    not    the     foot    of    pride  |   11.  Let    not    the     foot    of     pride 
come   against   me,   and   let   not  the  j  enter  me, 

hand  of  the  wicked   remove   me.      |  Nor  the   hand   of   the  godless 

12  There     are     the     workers     of  |  shake  me. 


iniquity  fallen :  they  are  cast  down, 
and    shall   not   be   able   to    rise. 


12.    There    have    the    makers    of 
idols  fallen, 
Are  cast  down        cannot  rise. 


The  Idolater 

This  Psalm  is  quite  sui  generis.  Its  purpose  is  indicated  by 
the  caption  (1^).  The  first  section  of  the  Psalm  (1-4)  pre- 
sents the  inmost  thought  of  the  idolater.  The  word  trans- 
lated .jm  (or  transgression)  means,  as  in  Ez.  14",  37^^,  an 
idol,  such  as  the  unbelievers  (godless)  worship;  but  here  we 
have  to  do  not  with  the  outside  heathen,  as  heretofore,  but 
with  heathenism  among  the  Judeans,  such  as  Isaiah  denounced 
(Is.  2^^'^°),  and  such  as  confronted  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel 
after  the  capture  of  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadrezzar,  and  was 
in  its  death  throes  in  the  times  of  the  Deutero-Isaiah.  We  are 
no  longer  in  that  stage  of  religious  development  where  the 
Sun  god  (Shemesh)  could  be  identified  with  Yahaweh  (as  in 
Ps.  19*),  or  Yahaweh  was  the  chief  god  among  the  gods, 
or  where  Yahaweh  might  be  represented  in  visible  forms.  Such 
forms  are  now  idols,  and  such  worship  heathenism.  The 
first  clear  assertion  of  this  view  we  find  in  the  Israelite  prophet 
Hosea,  about  750  B.  C.  It  was  made  emphatic  in  Judah  by 
Isaiah  toward  the  close  of  the  same  century,  and  put  in 
practice  under  Josiah  almost  a  century  later.  Liturgies  lag 
behind  prophecies,  and  so  we  may  suppose  this  Psalm  to  belong 
to  the  later  date,  after  the  cleansing  of  the  Temple  in  621  B.  C. 

1-4.  Oracle,  a  word  in  common  use  in  the  prophecies  for  an 
utterance  of  Yahaweh,  but  in  Num.  24  of  the  utterances  of 
Balaam.  Here  the  utterance  of  the  idol,  expressing  the  true 
inwardness  (in  his  inner  heart)  of  the  idolater's  religion. 
There  is  no  fear  of  God,  i.  e.,  the  idolater  is  no  true  believer 
in  God  (Elohim),  for  belief  in  God  excludes  belief  in  other 
gods,  or  not  gods,  to  use  Isaiah's  phrase.  He  has  smoothed 
(2)  his  gods  zvith  his  eyes,  a  pregnant  construction.  The 
images  of  the  gods  were  stroked  or  touched  by  the  suppliant; 
so  stone  pillars,  the  representatives  of  deity,  have  been  found, 
as    at    Gezer,    polished    by    the   touch    of    worshippers.      These 


190  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

visible  {with  their  eyes)  representations  of  the  gods  the  idola- 
trous worshipper  stroked  when  he  was  afflicted  with  guilt 
(calamity),  and  sought  to  find  out  its  cause  and  make  atone- 
ment. (3)  Idols  and  deceit  ('literally  iniquity)  is  the  same 
phrase  which  we  find  used  of  the  worship  of  idolaters  in  Hos. 
12  ^  and  Is.  41  ^°.  Such  worship  was  iniquitous  and  false. 
Ceased  from  right  zuorship,  literally  ceased  to  make  tmiskil, 
the  technical  term  for  a  correct  liturgical-ritual  worship.  We 
have  here  once  more  the  true  religion  represented  on  its  ritual 
side  by  tnake  maskil,  i.  e.,  worship  according  to  the  proper 
form,  and  on  its  ethical  side  by  doing  good.  Way  (4)  is  used 
in  the  sense  already  met  with,  as  a  religion,  a  cult.  He  setteth 
himself,  i.  e.,  takes  his  stand,  with  a  religion  which  does 
not  issue  in  good,  i.  e.,  bounty  and  reward,  like  the  true 
religion  of  Yahaweh.  5,  6.  In  contrast  with  these  visible 
and  earthy  idol  gods,  Yahaweh  unseen,  whose  attributes  are 
mercy  (love)  and  truth,  dwelletli  in  heaven,  above  the  clouds. 
In  Hebrew,  as  in  Babylonian  and  Assyrian  mythology,  the 
dwelling  of  God  was  in  the  greai;,  mysterious  mountain  masses 
to  the  north,  in  Armenia,  where  the  Ark  rested ;  whence  the 
forefathers  came.  There  was  the  garden  of  delight  (Eden), 
the  garden  of  God,  and  there  beneath  those  mountains  the  vast 
deep  from  which  poured  out  the  great  rivers  to  water  the 
earth.  The  native  of  Palestine  found  immediately  to  the  north 
of  him  also  mighty  mountains,  Lebanon  and  Hermon,  the 
latter  (called  to  this  day  Jebel  es-Sheikh,  mountain  of  the 
chief,  or  king  of  mountains),  rising  a  clear  9,000  feet  above 
the  great  springs  of  the  Jordan  at  its  base.  The  impression 
this  latter  mountain  made  is  shown  by  its  ancient  name  Her- 
mon, the  harem,  or  sacred  inner  dwelling  of  divinity,  into 
which  no  alien  might  penetrate.  Here  close  at  hand  the  He- 
brews had  reproduced  the  mountain  of  God,  the  mountain  of  the 
north,  with  the  great  deep  beneath,  from  which  came  pouring 
and  roaring  forth  their  one  great  river,  Jordan.  The  right 
dealing  and  just  decisions  of  Yahaweh  are  like  these  mountains 
of  God  {El)  with  the  great  deep  of  waters  beneath  that  bring 
blessing  to  man  and  beast  alike ;  for,  as  in  Deutero-Isaiah, 
He  is  Lord  of  all  the  world,  and  all  depend  on  Him  for 
safety  and  deliverance.  7-9.  Is  a  picture  of  the  bounties 
that  come  from  the  earthly  house,  where  God  manifests  Himself 
in  Zion.  Here  God  (Elohim)  is  used,  with  the  evident  inten- 
tion of  combining  the  two  divine  names,  Yahaweh  and  Elohim. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  191 

Israel,  in  the  Hebrew  text  sons  of  men.  In  the  earlier  Psahiis 
this  designates  the  heathen  world  in  distinction  from  the 
Hebrews.  Here  we  are  dealing  with  the  children  of  Israel, 
and  I  fancy  the  original  text  was  sons  of  Israel,  or  sons  of 
Jacob,  and  have  ventured  to  amend  by  conjecture  accordingly. 
The  stanza  has  such  affinities  with  46,  using  also  Elohim  for 
Yahaweh,  that  one  is  inclined  to  suspect  Israelite  influence  or 
origin;  the  intention  being,  by  the  combination  of  the  two 
stanzas  (5-6  and  7-9),  to  contrast  the  worship  of  the  true 
God,  Yahaweh-Elohim,  of  the  united  people,  Judah  and  Israel, 
with  the  idol  worship  of  the  foreign  not-gods,  which  is  held 
up  to  scorn.  Shadozu  of  Thy  wings,  i.  e.,  the  wings  of  the 
cherubim,  representing  the  divine  presence.  Sated  from  the 
fatness  of  Thy  house  is  the  same  rather  material  picture  of  the 
abundance  of  the  sacrificial  feasts  in  the  Temple  which  we  have 
met  in  earlier  Psalms.  River  of  Thy  delights  (the  same  root 
as  Eden),  represents  rivers  as  pouring  out  from  beneath  the 
Temple  mount  to  water  the  Holy  Land,  as  the  rivers  of  Eden 
poured  out  to  water  the  earth  from  the  deep  beneath  the 
mountain  of  God;  a  thought  which  is  worked  out  in  more 
detail  by  Ezekiel  (Chap.  47).  Fountain  of  life  is  the  source 
of  this  river,  with  God.  One  is  reminded  of  the  great  basin 
in  Solomon's  temple,  figuring  the  abyss  or  deep.  Later  huge 
cisterns  were  cut  in  the  rock  beneath  the  Temple  courts,  which 
are  to  this  day  sources  of  supply  to  the  pious  Moslem,  for 
only  he  is  allowed  to  use  them.  These  were  very  literally 
the  deeps  of  God  beneath  his  Temple  at  the  time  of  writing 
of  this  Psalm.  By  Thy  light  zve  see  light,  brings  before  the 
mind  the  lightening  upon  His  worshippers  of  God's  face  in 
the  sacrificial  fire.  10-12.  The  closing  stanza  is  the  usual 
confident  combination  of  prayer  and  praise,  but  closes,  unusu- 
ally, with  the  downfall  of  the  makers  of  idols,  instead  of 
with  the  blessing  of  the  righteous.  The  object  of  this  is  to 
connect  the  close  with  the  commencement  of  the  Psalm,  a 
connection  frequently  to  be  observed.  The  Temple  is  personified 
in  V.  11  in  the  prayer  that  the  idolatrous  worship  may  not  enter 
me,  i.  e.,  the  Temple,  and  the  religion  of  Yahaweh,  which  con- 
stitutes its  strength,  be  shaken.  Following  this  the  there  localizes 
the  fall  of  idolatry  in  the  Temple.  Iniquity  (12),  as  in  3,  means 
idols. 

In    this     Psalm     even    more     clearly     than    in     35     we    are 
in  the  period  of  transition,   which  began   with  the  renaissance 


192 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


in  the  time  of  Hezekiah,  following  the  capture  of  Samaria  and 
the  deportation  of  the  Israelites  (721  B.  C),  and  culminated 
in  the  Reformation  under  Josiah  (621  B.  C).  We  find  much 
of  the  old  liturgical  phraseology,  belonging  to  the  old  religion, 
connecting  us  with  such  Psalms  as  10,  12,  23  and  27,  with 
Gen.  2  and  Ilosea  and  Isaiah ;  but  we  also  find  a  striking  kinship 
of  thought  and  language  with  Ps.  57,  71,  and  104,  and  with 
Deutero-Isaiah  and  Ezekiel. 

Verse   1  ^  of  this  Psalm  is  used  by  St.   Paul  as  the  closing 
verse  of  his  composite  psalm  in  Rom.  3  ^^-'^^. 


XXXVII 

A  Psalm  of  David. 


FRET  not  thj'self  because  of 
evil  doers,  neither  be  thou 
envious  against  the  workers  of 
iniquity. 

2  For  they  shall  soon  be  cut 
dovi'n  like  the  grass,  and  wither 
as  the  green  herb. 

3  Trust  in  the  Lord,  and  do 
good ;  so  shalt  thou  dwell  in  the 
land,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed. 

4  Delight  thyself  also  in  the 
Lord  ;  and  he  shall  give  thee  the 
desires   of   thine  heart. 

5  Commit  thy  way  unto  the 
Lord  ;  trust  also  in  him ;  and  he 
shall   bring  it  to   pass. 

6  And  he  shall  bring  forth  thy 
righteousness  as  the  light,  and 
thy  judgment  as  the  noonday. 

7  Rest  in  the  Lord,  and  wait 
patiently  for  him :  fret  not  thy- 
self because  of  him  who  prosper- 
eth  in  his  way,  because  of  the 
man  who  bringeth  wicked  devices 
to   pass. 

8  Cease  from  anger,  and  forsake 
wrath :  fret  not  thyself  in  any 
wise    to    do    evil. 

9  For  evil  doers  shall  be  cut 
off:  but  those  that  wait  upon  the 
Lord,   they  shall  inherit  the   earth. 

10  For  yet  a  little  while,  and 
the  wicked  shall  not  be :  yea,  thou 
shalt  diligently  consider  his  place, 
and  it  shall  not   be. 


1. 
2. 

3. 


Against    the    wicked    fret    not, 

Nor    envy    evildoers ; 

For    like    grass    they    quickly 

fade, 
And     like    green     herbs    they 

wither. 


But  trust  in  the  Lord  and  do 

good. 
Inhabit     the     land,     and     feed 

securely ; 

4.  Delight    thou    in    the    Lord, 
And    He   will   give   thee   thine 

heart's    desires. 

5.  Commit  to  the  Lord  thy  way. 
Trust  Him,  and  He  will  do  it ; 

6.  And    bring   out    like   the    light 

thy  righteousness. 
Thy  justice   like  the  noonday. 

7.  Defer   to   the    Lord,   and    wait 

upon    Him ; 

Fret  not  if  their  way  pros- 
per. 

The  way  of  such  as  work 
fraud. 

8.  Eschew     anger,     and     forsake 

wrath ; 
Fret     not;     it     worketh     only 
ill; 

9.  For    the    wicked    shall    be    cut 

off; 
Who   wait   on   the   Lord   shall 
possess    the    land. 

10.     For   yet   but   a   little,   and    the 
godless   is  not; 
Thou    seekest    his    place,    and 
he  is  not; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


193 


11  But  the  meek  shall  inherit  the 
earth ;  and  shall  delight  themselves 
in  the  abundance  of   peace. 

12  The  wicked  plotteth  against 
the  just,  and  gnasheth  upon  him 
with  his  teeth. 

13  The  Lord  shall  laugh  at  him: 
for  he  seeth  that  his  day  is  com- 
ing. 

14  The  wicked  have  drawn  out 
the  sword,  and  have  bent  their 
bow,  to  cast  down  the  poor  and 
needy,  and  to  slay  such  as  be  of 
upright    conversation. 

15  Their  sword  shall  enter  into 
their  own  heart,  and  their  bows 
shall   be   broken. 

16  A  little  that  a  righteous  man 
hath  is  better  than  the  riches 
of  many  wicked. 

17  For  the  arms  of  the  wicked 
shall  be  broken :  but  the  Lord 
upholdeth  the  righteous. 

18  The  Lord  knoweth  the  days 
of  the  upright:  and  their  inherit- 
ance shall  be  for  ever. 

19  They  shall  not  be  ashamed  in 
the  evil  time :  and  in  the  days  of 
famine  they  shall  be  satisfied. 

20  But  the  wicked  shall  perish, 
and  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  shall 
be  as  the  fat  of  lambs :  they  shall 
consume ;  into  smoke  shall  they 
consume  away. 

21  The  wicked  borroweth,  and 
payeth  not  again :  but  the  right- 
eous sheweth  mercy,  and  giveth. 

22  For  such  as  be  blessed  of 
him  shall  inherit  the  earth;  and 
they  that  be  cursed  of  him  shall 
be  cut  off. 

23  The  steps  of  a  good  man  are 
ordered  by  the  Lord  :  and  he  de- 
lighteth    in    his    way. 


11.  But    the    meek    shall    possess 

the    land. 
And      delight      in      abundant 
peace. 

12.  Guile    the    godless    plotteth, 
And     gnasheth    his     teeth     at 

the    righteous ; 

13.  The   Lord    laugheth   at   him, 
For    He    hath    seen    that    his 

day    is   come. 

14.  How  have  the  godless  drawn 

the   sword. 
Their   bow    they   have   bent, 
To    overthrow    the    poor    and 

needy, 
To    slay   the   upright   of    Hfel 

15.  Their   own   heart   their   sword 

shall    enter, 
And  their  bows  shall  be  bro- 
ken. 

16.  Is  better  a  little  of  the  right' 

eous, 
Than      abundance     of      many 
godless; 

17.  For   the   arms   of   the    godless 

are  broken, 
But   the    Lord   supporteth   the 
righteous. 

18.  Known    to    the    Lord   are   the 

days    of    the    blameless, 
And    their    inheritance    is    fof 
ever. 

19.  In  a  troublous  time  they  come 

not  to  shame, 
And    in    days    of    dearth   they 
are    sated. 

20.  Let  the  godless  perish. 

The  foes  of  the  Lord,  like  the 

meadow's  glory. 
Utterly  consumed  in  smoke! 

2L     May    the    godless    borrow,    he 
i  payeth    not; 

j  But  the    righteous   is  gracious 

j  and  giveth, 

|22.     For    those    He    blesseth    shall 
possess    the    land. 
And  those  He  curseth  be  cul  off. 

|23.     Now     the     Lord     establisheth 
the   goings 
Of    the    man   whose    way    He 
loveth ; 


194 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


24  Though  he  fall,  he  shall  not 
be  utterly  cast  down :  for  the 
Lord  upholdeth  hitn  with  his  hand. 

25  I  have  been  young,  and  nozv 
am  old ;  yet  have  I  not  seen  the 
righteous  forsaken,  nor  his  seed 
begging  bread. 

26  He  is  ever  merciful,  and 
lendeth ;  and  his  seed  is  blessed. 

27  Depart  from  evil,  and  do 
good ;   and  dwell   for  evermore. 

28  For  the  Lord  loveth  judg- 
ment, and  forsaketh  not  his  saints ; 
they  are  preserved  for  ever :  but 
the  seed  of  the  wicked  shall  be 
cut   off. 

29  The  righteous  shall  inherit 
the  land,  and  dwell  therein  for 
ever. 

30  The  mouth  of  the  righteous 
speaketh  wisdom,  and  his  tongue 
talketh    of    judgment. 

31  The  law  of  his  God  is  in  his 
heart;  none  of  his  steps  shall 
slide. 

32  The     wicked     watcheth     the 

righteous,  and  seeketh  to  slay  him. 

33  The  Lord  will  not  leave  him 
in  his  hand,  nor  condemn  him 
when    he    is    judged. 

34  Wait  on  the  Lord,  and  keep 
his  way,  and  he  shall  exalt  thee 
to  inherit  the  land :  when  the 
wicked  are  cut  off  thou  shalt  see 
it. 

35  I  have  seen  the  wicked  in 
great  power,  and  spreading  him- 
self  like  a  green  bay   tree. 

36  Yet  he  passed  away,  and,  lo, 
he  was  not :  yea,  I  sought  him, 
but   he   could   not  be   found. 


24.  Though     he     fall    he    is    not 

prostrate, 
For     the     Lord     holdeth     his 
hand. 

25.  Old    am     I,     and    have    been 

young. 
And     never     have     seen     the 

righteous    forsaken. 
Nor     his     seed     begging     its 

bread. 

26.  Gracious,    and    lending    alway, 
His  seed  is  blessed. 

Z7.     Put   away   evil,   and   do   good, 
So   shalt   thou   dwell    forever; 

28.  For    the    Lord    loveth    justice, 
And  forsaketh  not  His  saints; 
They    are    kept    forever, 
But    the    seed   of    the   godless 

is    cut    off. 

29.  The     righteous     shall     possess 

the   land. 
And   dwell   therein    forever. 

30.  Quietly    museth    the    righteous 

wisdom. 
And  his  tongue  uttereth  judg- 
ment; 

31.  The    law    of    his    God    in    his 

heart. 
His   footsteps  cannot  slide. 

32.  Rogues   waylay   the   righteous, 
Seeking    to    slay    him ; 

^3.     The     Lord     leaveth     him     not 
in    their   hand. 
Nor   counteth   him   godless    in 
His    judgment. 

34  Seek  the  Lord,  and  keep  His 
way. 

That  He  exalt  thee  to  pos- 
sess  the   land; 

Thou  shalt  see  when  the 
godless    is    cut    off. 

35.  The    godless   have    I    seen    in 

power, 
Flourishing  like  a  tree  in  na- 
tive   soil. 

36.  He   passed   away,    and,    lo,   he 

is  not ; 
I     sought    him,    and    he    was 
not    found. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


195 


37  Mark  the  perfect  tnan,  and 
behold  the  upright :  for  the  end  of 
that  man   is  peace. 

38  But  the  transgressors  shall 
be  destroyed  together:  the  end  of 
the    wicked    shall    be   cut   off. 

39  But  the  salvation  of  the 
righteous  is  of  the  Lord  :  he  is 
their  strength  in  the  time  of  trou- 
ble. 

40  And  the  Lord  shall  help  them, 
and  deliver  them:  he  shall  deliver 
them  from  the  wicked,  and  save 
them,   because    they   trust    in    him. 


37.  Watch    piety,    regard    upright- 

ness ; 
For    the    man    of    peace    hath 
offspring ; 

38.  But  transgressors  perish  alto- 

gether ; 
The    offspring    of    sinners    is 
destroyed. 

39.  Yea,    salvation    of    the    right- 

eous is  of  the  Lord, 
Tlieir  refuge  in  time  of  trou- 
ble. 

40.  For     the     Lord     helpeth,     and 

rescueth    them, 
Rescueth     from     the     godless, 

and   saveth   them. 
Because   they   have   trusted   in 

Him. 


Mirror  of  Providence 

A  didactic  psalm  in  the  form  of  an  acrostic,  for  mnemonic 
reasons.  Its  motto  is  in  verse  3,  trust  in  Yahaweh,  repeated 
again  at  the  close.  It  teaches  the  blessedness  of  the  religion 
of  Yahaweh  as  over  against  that  of  the  heathen  gods,  because 
the  former  results  in  prosperity,  the  latter  in  ultimate  disaster. 
It  is  effective  by  the  cumulative  force  of  iteration.  Its  the- 
ology is  the  old  theology  of  reward  and  punishment  in  the 
things  of  earth,  against  which  later  Job  protests.  Nevertheless 
it  has  been  a  favorite  Psalm  with  Christians.  Tertullian  called 
it  the  "Mirror  of  Providence."  Luther  called  it  the  "Vesture 
of  the  pious,"  and  the  "Patience  of  the  saints."  The  godless, 
as  in  previous  Psalms,  are  the  heathen;  the  followers  of 
Yahaweh  are  the  poor,  needy,  righteous,  saints,  etc.  It  is  exclu- 
sively a  Yahaweh  Psalm,  Lord  (Adonai),  in  v.  13,  being  pre- 
sumably late.  Rogues,  v.  32,  is  really  godless,  the  former  transla- 
tion being  adopted  here  for  the  preservation  of  the  acrostic,  I  have 
endeavored  to  preserve  the  acrostic  form  in  the  English  trans- 
lation, at  a  very  small  expense  of  literalness. 


XXXVIII 

A  Psalm  of  David  to  bring  to  remembrance. 


LORD,   rebuke  me  not   in  thy 
wrath,  neither  chasten   me  in 
thy  hot  displeasure. 


1.     Lord,    rebuke   me   not   in    Thy 
displeasure, 
Nor  chasten  me  in  Thine  in- 
dignation I 


196 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


2  For  thine  arrows  stick  fast  in 
me,  and  thy  hand  presseth  me 
sore. 

3  There  is  no  soundness  in  my 
flesh  because  of  thine  anger; 
neither  is  there  any  rest  in  my 
bones  because  of  my  sin. 

4  For  mine  iniquities  are  gone 
over  mine  head :  as  a  heavy  bur- 
den   they    are    too    heavy    for    me. 

5  My  wounds  stink  and  are  cor- 
rupt because  of  my  foolishness. 

6  I  am  troubled ;  I  am  bov/ed 
down  greatly ;  I  go  mourning  all 
the   day   long. 

7  For  my  loins  are  filled  with 
a  loathsome  disease :  and  there  is 
no  soundness  in  my  flesh. 

8  I  am  feeble  and  sore  broken : 
I  have  roared  by  reason  of  Uie 
disquietness   of   my  heart. 

9  Lord,  all  my  desire  is  before 
thee ;  and  my  groaning  is  not  hid 
from  thee. 

10  My  heart  panteth,  my  strength 
faileth  me:  as  for  the  light  of 
mine  eyes,  it  also  is  gone  from 
me. 

11  My  lovers  and  my  friends 
stand  aloof  from  my  sore;  and 
my  kinsmen   stand   afar  off. 

12  They  also  that  seek  after  my 
life  lay  snares  for  me;  and  they 
that  seek  my  hurt  speak  mis- 
chievous things,  and  imagine  de- 
ceits   all    the    day    long. 

13  But  I,  as  a  deaf  man,  heard 
not;  and  /  zvas  as  a  dumb  man 
that  openeth  not  his  mouth. 

14  Thus  I  was  as  a  man  that 
heareth  not,  and  in  whose  mouth 
are   no    reproofs. 

15  For  in  thee,  O  Lord,  do  I 
hope :  thou  wilt  hear,  O  Lord  my 
God. 

16  For  I  said,  Hear  me,  lest 
otherwise  they  should  rejoice  over 
me :  when  my  foot  slippeth,  they 
magnify  themselves  against  me. 

17  For  I  am  ready  to  halt,  and 
my  sorrow  is  continually  before 
me. 


2.  For       Thine       arrows       have 

stricken    me, 
And   Thine  hand   smitten   me. 

3.  No  soundness  in  my  flesh  be- 

cause of   Thy  wrath ; 
No  wholeness  in  my  bones  be- 
cause of   my  sin. 

4.  For     my     guilt     hath     passed 

over  my   head. 
Like     a     heavy     burden,     too 
heavy    for    me. 

5.  My    wounds   are   noisome   and 

festered. 
Because  of  my  folly. 

6.  I     stagger,    am    bowed    down 

very  sore ; 
All     the     day     I     have     gone 
about   mourning. 

7.  For     my     loins     are     full     of 

burning, 
No    soundness    in    my    flesh. 

8.  Benumbed     and     broken     very 

sore, 
I    have    roared    for    mine    an- 
guish. 

10.  I    totter    about,    my    strength 

hath   failed  me. 
And  the  light  of  mine  eyes — 
they,  too ;  and  I  am  all  gone. 

11.  My  friends  and  my  kin  stand 

aloof   from  my  plague, 
And  my  neighbors  stood  afar 
off. 

12.  Who     seek     my     life     layed 

snares ; 
Who    desire    my    hurt    spake 

guile, 
And    mutter   mischief    daily. 

13.  And  I — like  a  deaf  man  hear 

not, 
Like    the    dumb,    that    openeth 
not  his  mouth ; 

15.  For  in  Thee,  Lord,  I  hoped, 
Thou    wilt    answer.    Lord    my 

God. 

16.  For    I     said :    That    they    re- 

joice not  over  me  I 
When  my  foot  slippeth,  boast 
not  against  me ! 

17.  For    I    am    about    to    fall. 
And    my    pain    is    ever    before 

me ; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  197 


18  For  I  will  declare  mine  in- 
iquity; I  will  be  sorry  for  my 
sin. 

19  But  mine  enemies  are  lively, 
and  they  are  strong :  and  they 
that  hate  me  wrongfully  are  mul-  j  And  many  they  that  hate   me 


18.  For  my  guilt  I  confess, 
I  am  afraid  for  my  sin; 

19.  And    my    foes    causeless    are 

strong, 


falsely, 

20.     And  reward  me  evil  for  good, 
Play  my  Satan,  because  I  fol- 
low good. 


tiplied. 

20  They  also  that  render  evil 
for  good  are  mine  adversaries;  be- 
cause I  follow  the  thing  that  good  is. 

21  Forsake   me   not,   O   Lord:   O  '  21.     Forsake  me  not,   Lord; 

my   God,   be  not   far   from   me.         )  My    God,    remove    not     from 

22  Make    haste    to    help    m.e,    O  I  me. 

Lord    my    salvation.  '  22.     Haste    to    my    help,    oh    Lord 

.  of  my  salvation. 


Confession  of  Sin 

This  is  a  penitential  Psalm  of  the  deepest  dye,  a  Psalm  for 
a  solemn  assembly  in  time  of  great  national  distress.  It  was 
for  precisely  such  conditions  as  depicted  in  Isaiah  1  *  *^.  Indeed 
the  similarity  of  both  ideas  and  words  in  that  passage  suggests 
an  acquaintance  on  Isaiah's  part  with  this  Psalm  or  one  much  like 
it.  It  commences  with  the  same  appeal,  with  slight  change  of 
words,  as  Ps.  6,  and  uses  freely  the  liturgical  formulae  common 
in  the  earlier  Psalms  (cf.  v-  and  24^,  3  and  3",  6  and  35", 
8  and  22  ",  1.1  and  31  ^  16  and  13  *,  13  and  32  ^  19  and  35  ^^ 
21  and  10  \  22  and  22  2").  -phis  does  not  mean,  however,  that 
it  is  a  Psalm  composed  out  of  other  Psalms,  or  even  that  it 
used  and  knew  those  Psalms.  Such  phrases  were  a  common 
liturgical  good.  The  Psalm  is  vigorous  and  strong.  It  pic- 
tures the  calamity  of  invasion  and  desolation  which  has  be- 
fallen Judah  as  the  result  of  sin,  like  Is.  1,  and  pictures  that 
sin  and  the  gloating  and  triumph  of  the  foes  in  a  succession  of 
dismal  stanzas.  It  is  with  verses  13  and  15  that  we  come 
to  the  beginning  of  the  appeal.  The  And  I  (emphatic  /)  in 
13,  16  and  17  suggest  the  suppliant  king,  and  bring  to  mind 
the  representations  on  Babylonian  monuments  of  such  suppli- 
ants, led  by  the  priest,  making  themselves  humble  (the  poor 
and  needy)  before  God.  Verse  18  contains  the  actual  confes- 
sion. This  is  followed  by  an  appeal  against  the  foes,  the 
final  call  for  help,  and  the  concluding  praise  cry,  the  latter 
not  so  highly  developed  as  is  usually  the  case.  Presumably 
such  a  liturgy  was  accompanied  by,  or  accompanied  sacrifice, 
and    indeed    that   sequence    is    suggested    in    Is.    1  ^° ".     In    the 


198 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


popular  thought,  certainly,  that  was  the  important  part  of  the 
atonement,  against  which  conception  Isaiah  inveighs  vehemently 
In  verse  4  the  figure  is  of  a  heavy  burden  which,  being  too 
heavy,  has  forced  him  down  and  gone  over  his  head.  Verse 
9  interrupts  the  thought,  which,  with  the  use  of  Adonai  (Lord), 
marks  this  verse  as  a  late  pietistic  gloss :  O  Lord,  before  Thee 
is  all  my  desire,  and  my  groaning  from  Thee  is  not  hid.  Verse 
14  is  an  explanatory  gloss  on  v.  13,  with  a  refernce  to  Job  23  *: 

And  I  became  like  a  man  that  heareth  not, 
And  in  whose  mouth  are  no  arguments. 

Verse  11,  on  the  other  hand,  seems  to  have  been  in  the  mind 
of  the  writer  of  Job  19  ^^'~'^.  In  verse  20  play  my  Satan,  i.  e., 
be  my  adversary  or  accuser,  is  a  denominative  from  the  word 
Satan.  We  seem  to  be  in  the  atmosphere  of  the  ancient  Job 
story  (Job  1,  2,  42),  which  long  antedates  the  discussion 
in  the  body  of  the  book.  The  concluding  praise  cry  is  in  general 
a  familiar  one  (cf.  22^^,  40'^,  70^),  but  the  precise  wording 
is  uncertain.  The  use  here  of  Adonai,  Lord,  suggests  late  revision. 
According  to  the  heading  this  Psalm  was  appointed  to  be 
used  as  a  liturgy  with  the  azkara,  or  memorial  offering  (cf. 
Lev.  2,  6,  24,  Num.  5;  see  also  Introduction).  According  to 
the  Greek  translation  it  was  specifically  for  the  Sabbath  azkara 
(cf.  Lev.  24).  It  became  one  of  the  penitential  psalms  of  the 
Christian   Church. 


XXXIX 

To  the  chief  Musician,  even  to  Jeduthun,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


I  SAID,  I  will  take  heed  to  my 
ways,  that  I  sin  not  with  my 
tongue :  I  will  keep  my  mouth 
with  a  bridle,  while  the  wicked 
is  before  me. 

2  I  was  dumb  with  silence,  I 
held  my  peace,  even  from  good ; 
and   my   sorrow   was    stirred. 

3  My  heart  was  hot  within  me ; 
while  I  was  musing  the  fire 
burned :  then  spake  I  with  my 
tongue, 

4  Lord,  make  me  to  know  mine 
end,  and  the  measure  of  my 
days,  what  it  is;  that  I  may  know 
how    frail    I    am. 


1.  I     said.     Let     me     guard     my 

ways     from      sinning     with 
my    tongue ; 
Put  a  muzzle  as  guard  to  my 
mouth,     while     the     godless 
is    still    before    me. 

2.  I    was    dumb,    I    kept    still    si- 

lence   from    good,    and    my 
pain  was  sore. 

3.  Hot   my   heart    within   me ;   in 

my    musing    fire    kindleth,    1 
spake  with  my  tongue : 

4.  Lord,  show  me  my  fate,  what 

it  is ; 
And  the  measure  of  my  days ; 
Let    me    know    how    I    end. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


199 


5  Behold,  thou  hast  made  my 
days  as  a  handbreath ;  and  mine 
age  is  as  nothing  before  thee : 
verily  every  man  at  his  best  state 
is  altogether  vanity.      Selah. 

6  Surely  every  man  walketh  in 
a  vain  shew :  surely  they  are  dis- 
quieted in  vain :  he  heapeth  up 
riches,  and  knoweth  not  who  shall 
gather  them. 

7  And  now,  Lord,  what  wait 
I   for?     My  hope  is  in  thee. 

8  Deliver  me  from  all  my  trans- 
gressions :  make  me  not  the  re- 
proach of   the   foolish. 

9  I  was  dumb,  I  opened  not  my 
mouth ;   because   thou   didst   it. 

10  Remove  thy  stroke  away 
from  me :  I  am  consumed  by  the 
blow    of    thine    hand. 

11  When  thou  with  rebukes 
dost  correct  man  for  iniquity, 
thou  makest  his  beauty  to  con- 
sume away  like  a  moth :  surely 
every    man    is   vanity.       Selah. 

12  Hear  my  prayer,  O  Lord, 
and  give  ear  unto  my  cry ;  hold 
not  thy  peace  at  my  tears :  for 
I  am  a  stranger  with  thee,  and 
a  sojourner,  as  all  my  fathers 
were. 

13  O  spare  me,  that  I  may  re- 
cover strength,  before  I  go  hence, 
and  be  no  more. 


5.  Behold,    Thou    hast    made    my 

days  a  span ; 
And    my    lifetime    as    nought 

before    Thee ; 
Verily     but     vanity     is     every 

man    at    his    best. 

6.  Verily  man  walketh  in  a  sem- 

blance. 

Selah. 

Verily   they    strive   after   van- 
ity; 

Who  heapeth  up,  knoweth  not 

who  shall  gather  it. 

7.  And    now,    what    is    my   hope, 

Lord? 
My   trust   is   toward    Thee. 

8.  Deliver  me  from  all  mine  of- 

fences ; 
Make  me  not  the  reproach  of 
the    foolish. 

9.  Dumb  was   I,  nor  opened   my 

mouth. 
Because   it   was    Thy   doing. 

10.  Remove  from  me  Thy  plague; 
By    the    blows    of    Thy    hand 

I    perish. 

11.  With  rebukes  Thou  hast  chast- 

ened   man    for    sin. 
And   consumed    like  the   moth 

his  treasure. 
Verily  every  man  is  vanity. 

Selah. 

12.  Hear  my  prayer,  O  Lord, 
And  give  ear  to  my  cry. 
Hold    not    Thy    peace    at    my 

tears ; 
For  I  am  a  guest  with  Thee, 
A     sojourner,     hke    all    my 
fathers. 

13.  .  Look   away    from    me,    that    I 

may   have   joy, 
Ere   vet   I  go   hence — and   am 
not'l 


The  Problem  of  Evil 

This  Psalm  is  frequently  called  an  elegy.  That  it  was 
used  as  a  liturgy  is  clear  from  the  heading  (for  which  see 
Introduction)  and  the  two  selahs,  marking  the  points  for  the 
outbreak  of  music  and  shouting  as  it  was  chanted  in  the 
Temple.  It  closes  also,  after  liturgical  use,  with  something 
suggesting  joy  in  answer  to  supplication.  That  it  is  old  would 
seem  probable  from  the  unusual  number  of  otherwise  unknown 


200  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

or  uncommon  words,  in  which  it  resembles  the  preceding 
Psahn.  It  is  to  be  classed  with  penitentials  because  of  the 
reference  to  the  sufferings  of  the  suppliant  as  a  consequence 
of  sins,  with  the  regular  ritual  terms.  The  main  theme  is 
the  problem  of  the  meaning  of  life  and  more  specifically  of 
calamity.  It  is  akin  in  this  to  Ps.  49,  and  to  the  books  of 
Job  and  Ecclesiastes.  The  problem  is  treated  in  two  stanzas, 
ending  with  similar  refrains,  strangely  like  Ecclesiastes  (vv. 
5,  11).  The  suppliant  would  hide  his  questioning  from  the 
heathen,  but  he  cannot  understand  his  affliction  (pain,  a  ritual 
term  for  punishment  of  sin),  and  at  last  breaks  out  in  ques- 
tioning (cf.  Jer.  20^),  precisely  the  theme  of  the  book  of  Job, 
the  author  of  which  evidently  knew  this  Psalm.  What  is  the 
meaning  of  God's  dealing  with  him,  what  is  to  be  the  outcome? 
This  stanza  closes,  as  the  sections  of  Ecclesiastes  close,  with 
the  cry  of  vanity  {man  at  his  best,  literally  established,  is  but 
vanity).  The  second  stanza  contains  the  answer,  which  is: 
Trust  in  the  Lord  (here  Adonai),  continue  to  practise  the 
rites  of  the  religion  of  Yahaweh,  and  ask  Him  for  relief  from 
your  calamities,  for  they  come  from  Him.  Then  follows  the 
liturgical  appeal  for  favorable  answer  to  the  prayer. 

It  was  apparently  a  liturgy  for  community  use,  the  afflic- 
tions being  those  of  pious  Judah,  contrasted  with  the  godless 
heathen;  but  it  also  fits  the  individual  problem,  just  as  Job, 
in  dealing  with  the  problem  of  Israel's  history,  discusses  in 
fact  the  problem  of  good  and  ill  in  human  life.  It  is  the  first 
appearance  of  the  theme  in  Hebrew  literature,  which  does  not 
mean  that  the  theme  itself  was  new.  There  has  come  down 
to  us  a  Babylonian  penitential  dealing  with  a  somewhat  similar 
theme  more  than  a  thousand  years  earlier,  which  may  be 
translated  freely: 

"Who  can  learn  the  counsel  of  the  gods  in  heaven? 
The  counsel  of  God  how  hardly  may  he  understand? 
How  shall  man  comprehend  the  way  of  a  god? 
Who  lives  at  evening,  by  morning  is  dead. 
Suddenly  he  is  distressed,  speedily  he  is  smitten. 
Now  he  is  singing  and  dancing; 
Now  he  howls  like  a  mourner. 
Like  day  and  night  their  state  changes. 
Now  they  hunger  and  are  like  corpses ; 
Now  they  are  full  and  think  themselves  gods. 
When  it  goes  well,  they  speak  of  ascending  to  heaven ; 
Are  they  distressed,  they  talk  of  descending  to  hell." 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


201 


This  Psalm  was  incorporated  in  the  AngHcan  burial  service 
at  the  Reformation. 

XL 

To  the   chief   Musician,    A   Psalm   of  David. 


I  WAITED     patiently      for      the 
Lord  ;  and  he  inclined  unto  me, 
and    heard    my   cry. 

2  He  brought  me  up  also  out 
of  a  horrible  pit,  out  of  the  miry 
clay,  and  set  my  feet  upon  a 
reck,  and  established  my  goings. 

3  And  he  hath  put  a  new  song 
in  my  mouth,  even  praise  unto 
our  God :  many  shall  see  it,  and 
fear,  and   shall  trust  in   the   Lord. 

4  Blessed  is  that  man  that  mak- 
eth  the  Lord  his  trust,  and  re- 
specteth  not  the  proud,  nor  such 
as   turn   aside   to   lies. 

5  Many,  O  Lord  my  God,  are 
thy  wonderful  works  which  thou 
hast  done,  and  thy  thoughts  which 
are  to  us-ward :  they  cannot  be 
reckoned  up  in  order  unto  thee: 
if  I  would  declare  and  speak  of 
them,  they  are  more  than  can 
be   numbered. 

6  Sacrifice  and  offering  thou 
didst  not  desire;  mine  ears  hast 
thou  opened :  burnt  offering  and 
sin  offering  hast  thou  not  re- 
quired, 

7  Then  said  I,  Lo,  I  come :  in 
the  volume  of  the  book  t^  is  writ- 
ten of  me, 

8  I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  O 
my  God :  yea,  thy  law  is  within 
my   heart. 

9  I  have  preached  righteousness 
in  the  great  congregation :  lo,  I 
have  not  refrained  my  lips,  O 
Lord,   thou   knowest. 

10  I  have  not  hid  thy  righteous- 
ness within  my  heart;  I  have  de- 
clared thy  faithfulness  and  thy 
salvation :  I  have  not  concealed 
thy  loving  kindness  and  thy  truth 
from  the  great  congregation. 


1.  Waiting    I    awaited    the    Lord, 
And    He    inclined    to    me    and 

heard    my   cry, 

2.  And    raised    me    from   the   pit 

of     destruction,     from     the 
miry   swamp. 
And    set   on   a    rock   my    feet, 
m.aking    firm    my    steps. 

3.  And    He   put   in   my   mouth   a 

new  song. 

Praise  Song  of  Our  God 

Let    many    see    and    fear    and 
trust  in  the  Lord! 

4.  Blessed    the    man    who    hath 

made  the  Lord  his  trust. 
And    turned    not    to     Rahabs 
and   false   inciters. 

5.  Many  Thy  wonders  Thou  hast 

done,  Lord  my  God  ; 
And    Thy    plans    to     usward, 

none  ordereth  unto  Thee ; 
Would     I     tell     and     declare 

them,  they  surpass  counting. 

6.  Sacrifice    and    oblation    Thou 

lovedst  not ; 
(Mine  ears  hast  Thou  opened) 
Whole  burnt  and  sin  offering 

Thou   askedst   not. 

7.  Then  said  I:  Lo,  I  am  come; 
(In  the  roll  of  the  book  it  is 

written   for   me) 

8.  To  do  Thy  will,  my  God,  my 

pleasure, 
And   Thy  law    is   in    mine   in- 
most heart. 

9.  I    brought    tidings    of     right- 

eousness   in    the    great   con- 
gregation ; 

Lo,    my    lips    I    refrain    not, 
Lord,   Thou  knowest. 
10.     Thy    righteousness    I    hid    not 
within    my    heart. 

Thy  faithfulness  and  Thy 
salvation  I  told, 

Nor  hid  Thy  love  and  Thy 
truth  from  the  great  con- 
gregation. 


202 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


11  Withhold  not  thou  thy  ten- 
der mercies  from  me,  O  Lord  : 
let  thy  loving  kindness  and  thy 
truth   continually   preserve    me. 

12  For  innumerable  evils  have 
compassed  me  about :  mine  iniqui- 
ties have  taken  hold  upon  me,  so 
that  I  am  not  able  to  look  up ; 
they  are  more  than  the  hairs  of 
mine  head :  therefore  my  heart 
faileth  m.e. 

13  Be  pleased,  O  Lord,  to  de- 
liver me :  O  Lord,  make  haste 
to  help   me. 

14  Let  them  be  ashamed  and 
confounded  together  that  seek  aft- 
er my  soul  to  destroy  it;  let 
them  be  driven  backward  and  put 
to    shame    that   wish    me    evil. 

15  Let  them  be  desolate  for  a 
reward  of  their  shame  that  say 
unto    me.    Aha,    aha. 

16  Let  all  those  that  seek  thee 
rejoice  and  be  glad  in  thee :  let 
such  as  love  thy  salvation  say 
continually,  The  Lord  be  magni- 
fied. 

17  But  I  am  poor  and  needy; 
yet  the  Lord  thinketh  upon  me : 
thou  art  my  help  and  my  deliverer ; 
make  no  tarrying,  O  my  God. 


11.  Thou,       Lord,       refrain       not 

Thy  mercies   from  me, 
Let   Thy   love   and   Thy   truth 
forever  protect  me ; 

12.  For  evils  have  compassed  me 

without    number ; 
Mine     iniquities     have     over- 

whelm.ed    me,   and    I   cannot 

see; 
They  outnumber  the  hairs  of 

my     head,     and     my     heart 

hath    failed   me. 

13.  Be  pleased,  O   God,  to   rescue 

me ;  Lord,  haste  to  my  help. 

14.  Be     they     shamed     and     con- 

founded  also   that   seek   my 
life  to   snatch   itl 
Turned    back    and    dishonored 
that    delight   in    my   hurt  I 

15.  Dumbfounded    in     reward    of 

their  idolatry 
That  say  to  me :  Aha,  aha  I 

t6.    Let    all    that    seek    Thee    re- 
joice and  be  glad  in  Thee! 

Let   them    that   love    Thy    sal- 
vation   say :     Great    is    the 
Lord! 
17.    And    I — am    poor    and    needy 
alway ; 

God,  haste  Thee  to  me ; 

My    help    and    my    deliverer 
Thou, 

O  Lord,  tarry  not. 


Hymn  of  the  Reformation 

This  is  a  composite  liturgy  of  the  Reformation  period,  after 
621  B.  C.  It  consists  of  an  earHer  penitential,  contained  in  vv. 
1,  2,  11-17,  with  a  later  composition  inserted  between.  A 
variant  of  the  latter  part  of  the  original  Psalm  (vv.  13-17) 
is  found  as  Ps.  70,  in  the  collection  of  the  Prayers  of  David. 
This  has  come  down  to  us  in  truncated  form,  minus  the 
prelude  of  praise  and  petition  contained  in  Ps.  40  ^ 


•  -'  "'  ^^  and 

with  the  cry  for  help  (40")  in  incomplete  form  (70^).  Other- 
wise the  text  preserved  in  the  version  in  the  Prayers  of  David 
(70)  appears  to  be  the  more  original  (as  in  the  case  of  14 
and  53),  and  has  been  followed  in  our  translation.  The  prin- 
cipal difference  will  be  found  in  the  last  stanza,  where  in  Ps. 
40  we  have  the  line  the  Lord  careth  for  me  instead  of  God 
haste   Thee  to  me.      The  latter  seems  more  probable,   as  the 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  203 

echo  at  the  close,  after  a  common  fashion,  of  the  cry  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Psalm.  Moreover,  the  line  in  Ps.  40  has 
the  suspicious  form  Adonai,  Lord.  Elohim  and  Yahaweh 
are  interchanged  in  the  last  line.  Apparently  in  the  original 
both  names  were  intentionally  used,  of  which  double  use  the 
Elohim  in  the  last  line  of  40  is  a  reminder;  accordingly  I 
have  changed  the  first  Yahaweh  of  40  ^^  to  Elohim,  follow- 
ing  70  \ 

The  original  Psalm  was  a  cry  for  deliverance  in  national 
peril  in  a  very  common  form.  The  opening  is  reminiscent 
of  27^*  and  37^,  and  throughout  verses  1,  2,  11-17  we  have 
the  language  and  motives  familiar  in  the  early  Temple  litur- 
gies, as  the  rock  stronghold  of  the  Temple  (3),  the  prayer 
that  the  exulting  and  boastful  enemy  be  turned  back  (14), 
etc.  It  commences  with  the  assertion  of  faith  and  reference 
to  past  deliverances  (1,  2),  followed  by  a  cry  for  help  in  the 
present  emergency  (11);  then  a  statement  of  the  calamity, 
recognized  as  a  consequence  of  sin  (12).  For  this  of  course 
sacrifice  must  be  offered,  and  verse  13  contains  phrases  regu- 
larly used  in  some  connection  with  such  sacrifices.  Verses  14 
and  15  are  the  somewhat  triumphant  prayer  for  vengeance  on 
the  invader.  Idolatry  in  v.  15  is  literally  their  shameful  thing, 
a  term  frequently  used  for  false  gods.  After  this  follows  the 
praise  shout  (16)  and  the  final  confident  call  on  God,  in 
which,  as  usual.  His  faithful  followers,  as  His  suppliants,  are 
designated  the  poor  and  needy  (17).  At  a  later  date  the 
latter  part  of  this  Psalm  (vv.  13-17)  was  assigned  as  a  liturgy 
for  the  askara,  at  the  trespass  offering  of  the  man  too  poor  to 
offer  a  flesh  offering  (Lev.  5  ^^  ^;  see  Introduction),  and  added 
with  some  other  gleanings  to  the  collection  of  the  Prayers 
of  David  (51-72). 

The  original  Psalm  was  made  into  a  Reformation  liturgy  of 
the  new  covenant,  with  a  denunciation  of  sacrifice  in  the 
spirit  of  Is.  I.  There  we  have  a  picture  of  the  misery  of 
Judah  invaded  and  laid  waste,  as  a  consequence  of  its  sins, 
with  only  Jerusalem  uncaptured  (vv.  2-9).  Of  course  the 
people  sought  relief  in  the  Temple,  with  sacrifices  to  Yahaweh, 
accompanied  by  some  of  the  liturgies  which  we  have  been  con- 
sidering in  this  book  of  Psalms,  their  confidence  being  in  the 
effect  of  sacrifice  to  appease  Yahaweh.  This  idea  Isaiah 
denounces  as  gross  and  unworthy  materialism  in  the  famous 
passage  against  sacrifice    (1   ^°"^^),  demanding  in  its  place  real 


204  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

penitence  (16),  and  ethical  not  ritual  righteousness  (17-20). 
This  was  no  new  theme  with  the  prophets  (cf.  1  Sam.  15^*, 
Hos.  6^),  but  receives  with  Isaiah  a  tremendous  new  emphasis. 
He  failed  in  immediate  results,  according  to  his  own  testimony, 
but  left  a  band  of  disciples  behind  him  (Is.  8"*).  The  actual 
Reformation  came  three-quarters  of  a  century  later,  with  the 
adoption  of  Deuteronomy  as  Torah,  the  God  given  Law  of 
Israel,  and  the  aboHtion  of  all  other  sacrifice  than  that  to 
Yahaweh  at  the  one  central  shrine  (2  K.  22,  23).  Jeremiah 
is  the  great  prophet  of  this  reformation,  who  best  tells  us 
what  it  was  understood  to  mean.  It  was  the  old  covenant, 
which  had  been  broken,  but  which  had  been  consistently  pro- 
claimed by  the  prophets  to  be  the  word  of  God,  who  had  not 
ordained  sacrifices  but  a  Law  (Je.  1);  and  it  was  become  a 
new  covenant,  a  law  to  be  written  in  the  heart  (Je.  31),  a 
new  religion  of  righteousness  in  the  sense  of  ethical  right  doing 
and  spiritual  intercourse  with  God.  Jeremiah  continually  harks 
back  to  Deuteronomy,  and  we  find  reflected  in  his  prophecies, 
as  in  this  Psalm,  such  passages  of  Deuteronomy  as  chaps. 
5,  6,  31. 

It  was  in  the  spirit  and  under  the  enthusiasm  of  this  refor- 
mation that  the  old  penitential  Psalm,  a  liturgy  for  sacrifice 
in  time  of  distress  by  invasion,  to  make  atonement  for  the 
sins  which  were  the  cause  of  that  calamity  and  appease  Yaha- 
weh, was  made  into  a  new  liturgy  along  the  lines  of  the 
teachings  of  Isaiah,  made  effective  through  the  Reformation  of 
Josiah,  by  the  insertion  of  vv.  3-10.  The  new  liturgy  follows 
so  exactly  the  line  of  thought  of  Is.  1  that  it  would  seem 
to  have  been  composed  on  it  as  a  basis.  We  have  from  the 
old  Psalm  the  conditions  of  the  nation's  need  (vv.  1,  2),  due 
to  its  sins  (12-15),  corresponding  to  Is.  1-'^;  but  these  cannot 
be  atoned  for  by  sacrifice  and  penitential  liturgies  (Is.  1  ^°"^', 
Ps.  40^),  but  only  by  repentance  and  doing  of  the  will  of  God 
(Is.  1  "•  ",  Ps.  40  ■^"^°)  ;  only  then  can  God  be  approached  and 
will  He  grant  pardon  and  release   (Is.   1  i^-^o^  Ps,  40^^"^^). 

The  inserted  portion  commences  (v.  3)  with  the  call  to  sing  a 
new  song,  i.  e.,  a  song  of  the  7iew  covenant,  the  nezv  religion. 
Then  a  rubric  or  caption,  giving  the  title  of  the  new  song,  viz. 
TehUlah  (praise  song)  of  our  God.  This  uses  the  theme  of 
the  old  Psalm,  waiting  or  trust  in  Yahaweh,  as  its  motive, 
telling  oC  the  wonders  of  His  power,  both  trust  and  wonders 
being  expressed  in  contemporamous  terms  of  the  new  religion. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  205 

So  V.  4,  rahahs  and  false  inciters.  Rahab  is  in  the  old  mythol- 
ogy the  name  of  a  cosmogonic  monster.  Isaiah  (30^)  calls 
Egypt  Rahab  (see  also  Ps.  87*).  From  the  latter  days  of 
the  kingdom  of  Israel,  after  the  fall  of  Damascus  (732)  had 
brought  Assyria  into  immediate  contact  with  Palestine,  Egypt 
continually,  until  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  incited  Israel  and 
Judah  to  rebellion  against  first  Assyria  and  then  Babylon, 
with  a  view  to  preserving  an  independent  friendly  buffer  state 
between  herself  and  those  great  Asiatic  powers.  Hosea  records 
this.  Isaiah  most  vigorously  protested  against  such  alliance, 
which  meant  trust  in  Egypt's  gods  and  contamination  with 
idolatry,  and  called  constantly  for  trust  in  Yahaweh  only  and 
no  foreign  alliances.  At  the  time  of  the  wars  with  Nebucha- 
drezzar Jeremiah  took  a  somewhat  similar  attitude  as  to  the 
Egyptian  alliance.  Josiah  actually  put  in  practise  Isaiah's 
teachings,  so  far  as  Egypt  was  concerned,  and  lost  his  life 
in  the  battle  of  Megiddo,  606  B.  C.  Trust  in  Yahaweh  is  here 
interpreted  in  the  thought  and  language  of  Isaiah,  as  not 
consonant  with  trust  in  Egypt  and  the  conspiracies  to  which 
she  was  continually  inciting,  and  for  support  in  which  Judah 
had  too  often  relied  on  the  false  promises  of  help  and  support 
made  by  her.  The  use  of  the  plural  here  makes  the  meaning 
of  the  phrase  somewhat  general,  as  it  were  Egypt  and  her 
ilk,  inciters  to  rebellion  by  promises  they  cannot  fulfil.  The 
reference  to  God's  wonders  in  v.  5,  which  none  ordereth  unto 
Thee,  and  as  surpassing  counting,  is  an  expression  of  monothe- 
ism of  the  sort  developed  so  fully  in  the  Deutero-Isaiah  (cf. 
Is.  401). 

The  following  stanza  (6-10)  contains  the  denunciation  of 
sacrifice  and  the  exaltation  as  over  against  it  of  the  new 
torah  or  Law,  contained  in  Deuteronomy,  given  to  Israel  by 
the  direct  word  of  God  through  Moses,  in  the  language  of 
Isaiah,  Jeremiah  and  Deuteronomy  itself.  The  two  lines,  Mine 
ears  hast  Thou  opened  (for  which  the  Greek  has.  But  a  body 
Thou  didst  prepare  for  me,  and  the  Latin  Vulgate,  But  ears 
Thou  didst  perfect  for  me),  and.  In  the  roll  of  the  hook  it  is 
zvritten  for  {or  of)  me,  break  the  meter  and  the  sequence, 
and  sound  like  later  explanatory  glosses,  the  latter  taken 
directly  from  the  book  of  Deuteronomy  (31  "),  and  the  former 
(if  the  text  is  correct)  a  variant  of  a  common  phrase  for 
giving  and  receiving  instruction  (cf.  Is.  50*),  to  awake,  open 
and  the  like  the  ear. 


206  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

This  stanza  raises  the  question,  how  could  such  a  denuncia- 
tion of  sacrifice  find  and  maintain  its  place  in  a  book  of 
Temple  liturgies  used  primarily  in  connection  with  sacrifice? 
One  may  ask,  with  but  little  less  force.  How  could  such  sim- 
ilar and  even  much  stronger  condemnations  as  we  find  in  a 
long  line  of  prophets,  like  Amos,  Hosea,  Isaiah,  Micah,  Jere- 
miah, be  not  only  tolerated  by  men  who  were  continually  offer- 
ing sacrifice,  and,  as  the  generations  went  on,  multiplying  sac- 
rifices, but  regarded  as  inspired?  Moreover,  Isaiah  himself 
loved  the  Temple,  and  evidently  took  part  constantly  and  con 
amore  in  its  services,  which  involved  sacrifices.  So  did  Jere- 
miah. So  did  Jesus  and  St.  Paul.  Isaiah's  position  was 
very  similar  to  that  of  the  great  Christian  reformers  with 
regard  to  the  sacraments.  When  they  denounced  in  what 
often  seemed  extreme  terms  the  abuses,  the  materialism  and 
the  superstitions  connected  with  the  sacraments  of  the  Christian 
Church,  they  had  no  intention  of  abolishing  the  sacraments 
themselves.  Such  utterances  as  those  of  the  prophets  referred 
to,  and  of  this  Psalm,  must  be  understood  and  interpreted 
in  the  same  way  as  the  anti-sacramental  utterances  of  the 
Reformers.  Perhaps,  so  far  as  sacrifice  was  concerned,  the 
ultimate  result  of  the  Reformation  is  best  expressed  in  Prov. 
218: 

To   do  justice   and  judgment, 

Is   more   acceptable   to   the   Lord   than   sacrifice. 

To  those  so  holding  this  liturgy  could  not  be  offensive;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  liturgies  of  this  order,  or  expressing  the 
attitude  of  this  Psalm  toward  sacrifice  are  very  few  (fully  only 
51,  partially  50  and  69),  and  limited  to  one  period. 

The  concluding  stanza  of  the  nczv  song  (9,  10)  is  purposely 
brought  into  connection  with  the  succeeding  verse  of  the  old 
Psalm,  as  the  beginning  of  that  song  had  been  brought  into 
connection  with  the  preceding  section  of  that  Psalm.  The 
writer  of  this  stanza  evidently  had  vividly  before  his  mind's 
eye  the  dramatic  character  and  the  great  importance  of  the 
public  reading  and  adoption  of  the  Torah  of  Deuteronomy  in 
the  Temple  before  the  great  congregation  (an  old  phrase,  cf. 
among  other  passages  Ps.  22""'),  as  described  in  Kings  and  re- 
flected in  Jeremiah.  We  have  the  promulgation  mentioned 
as  a  declaration  of  good  tidings  (v.  9),  a  gospel,  the  same 
word  used  in  Is.  40^.     With  the  new  song   (3)   and  the  none 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


207 


ordereth  unto  Thee  (5)  we  have  thus  three  specific  instances 
of  marked  linguistic  affinity  between  this  part  of  the  Psalm 
and  the  earlier  chapters  of  Deutero-Isaiah.  This  does  not,  I 
think,  mean  borrowing.  The  Psalm  is  earlier  than  the  prophecy. 
These  ideas,  and  with  them  a  special  phraseology  to  express 
them,  began  with  the  Reformation,  with  its  new  covenant  and 
new  theology.  This  was  further  developed  after  the  Exile  in 
the  prophetic  outlook  of  a  new  birth  of  the  nation  on  new 
and  higher  lines,  expressed  in  Deutero-Isaiah,  and  finding  its 
psalmody  in  the  Prayer  of  Moses  (Ps.  90-99). 

This  liturgy  must,  I  think,  have  been  composed  after  the 
Reformation,  while  that  was  fresh  and  vivid  in  mind,  and  its 
friends  and  supporters  had  the  full  authority  of  the  high 
priest  and  the  king  behind  them.  I  think  it  would  scarcely 
have  been  composed  after  the  death  of  the  latter. 

Verses  6-8  of  this  Psalm  are  cited  (from  the  Greek  trans- 
lation) in  Heb.  10°"°  of  Jesus  as  the  fulfilment  of  their  true 
meaning.  This  Psalm  gave  the  motto  of  Queen  Elizabeth's 
gold  coinage,  as  of  certain  of  our  American  silver  coinage 
(v.  3). 

XLI 

To  the   chief   Musician,   A   Psalm   of  David. 


BLESSED    is    he    that    consid- 
ereth  the  poor :  the  Lord  will 
deliver  him   in   time   of   trouble. 

2  The  Lord  will  preserve  him, 
and  keep  him  alive ;  and  he  shall 
be  blessed  upon  the  earth :  and 
thou  wilt  not  deliver  him  unto 
the   will   of   his   enemies. 

3  The  Lord  will  strengthen  him 
upon  the  bed  of  languishing:  thou 
wilt  make  all  his  bed  in  his  sick- 
ness. 

4  I  said,  Lord,  be  merciful  unto 
me :  heal  my  soul ;  for  I  have 
sinned    against    thee. 

5  Mine  enemies  speak  evil  of 
me,  When  shall  he  die,  and  his 
name  perish? 

6  And  if  he  come  to  see  me, 
he  speaketh  vanity:  his  heart  gath- 
ereth  iniquity  to  itself ;  when  he 
goeth   abroad,   he   telleth  it. 


1.  Happy    they!      A    maskil    for 

the    poor. 

2.  In    the    day    of    trouble    the 

Lord    rescueth    him ; 
He    keepeth    him    and    maketh 

him    live, 
And   giveth   him   not   into   the 

hand   of    His   foes. 

3.  The    Lord    sustaineth   him    on 

the    pallet    of    disease, 
All      his      bed      hast      Thou 
changed  in  his  sickness. 

4.  I   said,   Lord,  pity  me, 

Heal   me,    for   I   have    sinned 
against  Thee. 

5.  Mine     enemies     bespeak     me 

ill: 
When    will    he    die    and    his 
name  perish? 

6.  And    if    He   come   to    see,    he 

uttereth    a    lie. 
His  heart  heapeth  up  deviltry ; 
He    goeth    forth,    he    uttereth 

it    also. 


208 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


7  All  that  hate  me  v/hisper  to- 
gether against  me:  against  me  do 
they   devise   my  hurt. 

8  An  evil  disease,  say  they, 
cleaveth  fast  unto  him  and  now 
that  he  lieth  he  shall  rise  up  no 
more. 

9  Yea,  mine  own  familiar  friend, 
in  whom  I  trusted,  which  did  eat 
of  my  bread,  hath  lifted  up  his 
heel    against   me. 

10  But  thou,  O  Lord,  be  merci- 
ful unto  me,  and  raise  me  up, 
that  I  m.ay  requite  them. 

11  By  this  I  know  that  thou 
favourest  me,  because  mine  en- 
emy doth  not  triumph  over  me. 

12  And  as  for  me,  thou  uphold- 
est  me  in  mine  integrity,  and  set- 
test   me   before  thy   face   for  ever. 


7.  Against     me     all     my     haters 

make  charms. 
They   devise   evil   toward   me : 

8.  Be  the  plague  of  Belial  heavy 

upon  him. 
And  when  he  hath  lain  down, 
let    him    rise    no    more. 

9.  Yea,    even    mine     ally, 
In    whom    I    trusted, 
That   eateth    my    bread. 
Hath       made       great      magic 

against   me. 

10.  And     Thou,     Lord,     pity     me 

and   raise  me   up, 
And    let    me    be    avenged    on 
them. 

11.  By    this    I    know    that    Thou 

art   pleased   with   me. 
Because    mine    enemies    shout 
not   over  me. 

12.  And    I — in    my    blamelessnes3 

Thou    hast    grasped    m.e. 
And     established     me     before 
Thee   forever. 


A  Penitential 

A  penitential  for  use  primarily  in  case  of  national  calamity, 
connected  apparently  with  a  plague,  or  with  the  illness  of 
the  king. 

1.  The  first  line  is  not  an  intelligible  sentence.  I  have 
translated  it  literally  as  a  happy  they  psalm,  which  is  a  liturgy 
for  deliverance  of  the  poor  from  some  trouble.  This  much  i3 
certain,  that  the  Psalm  has  to  do  with  the  relief  of  the  poor 
and  needy,  the  phrase  regularly  used  in  the  earlier  Psalms, 
the  prophets  and  Job  for  Israel  and  Judah  (cf.  Is.  14  '°,  25  *, 
Job  5  ^"j  and  above  all  the  old  hymn  contained  in  1  Sam.  2, 
which  in  many  of  its  phrases  paisllels  the  first  stanza  of  this 
Psalm).  After  makcth  him  live  (2)  occur  the  words  he  is 
made  happy,  or  prosperous,  in  the  land,  which  break  the  metre 
and  interrupt  the  sense.  Perhaps  they  are  a  gloss  explanatory 
of  the  preceding  phrase.  Hand  of  his  foes,  following  the 
Greek  translation,  as  the  Hebrew  seems  unintelligible.  The 
last  verse  of  this  stanza  (3)  states  the  affliction  from  which 
the  suppliant  asks  relief,  apparently  sickness  in  the  literal  sense. 
This  might  be  either  sickness  of  the  king,  in  whom  the  nation 
was  personified,  or  a  plague  or  epidemic  affecting  the  whole 
community.     Changed  his  bed,  etc.,  is  a  pregnant  phrase  mean- 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  209 

ing  changed  into  health  the  sickness  which  had  brought  him 
to  bed.  This  stanza  is  the  sort  of  anticipatory  self-assurance 
with  which  such  Psalms  frequently  commence,  psychologically 
a  method  of  appeasement  intended  to  secure  favor.  This  is 
followed  by  the  direct  personal  appeal  of  the  suppliant  for 
healing,  and  confession  of  sin  (4)  as  the  cause  of  the  sickness, 
in  this  case,  apparently,  by  opening  the  way,  through  dis- 
pleasing or  alienating  Yahaweh,  to  the  demon  charms  of  his 
heathen  enemies  (5).  Then  follows  a  long  passage  (5-9)  as- 
cribing the  sickness  to  the  plots  and  charms  of  the  heathen. 
The  words  translated,  lie  and  heapeth  up  deviltry  (6)  are 
words  frequently  connected  with  the  service  of  false  gods. 
Belial  (8)  is  a  word  of  uncertain  meaning,  used  to  describe 
devilish  men  and  things.  Mine  ally  (9),  i.  e.,  the  king  or 
people  with  whom  he  is  at  peace;  further  defined  as  one  who 
has  broken  bread  with  him,  and  hence  should  be  bound  to 
him  with  a  tie  of  friendliness.  Then  follows  the  second 
petition,  including  the  usual  prayer  for  vengeance  (10,  11),  and 
the  praise  cry  of  the  petitioner  answered   (12). 

Such  Psalms,  originally  for  relief  in  national  calamity,  be- 
came later  liturgies  for  the  individual  in  his  similar  need. 
Verse  9  is  cited  in  John  13  ^^  with  application  to  Judas  Iscariot, 
and  a  similar  reference  is  contained  in  Acts  1  ^'. 


Doxology 

13.  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel  from  everlasting,  and  to  ever- 
lasting.    Amen  and  Amen. 


Blessed    be   the   Lord,   the   God   of 

Israel, 
From  everlasting  and  to  everlasting. 
Amen  and  Amen. 


This,  which  is  printed  in  our  Bibles  as  v.  13  of  the  preceding 
Psalm,  was  the  doxology  for  any  liturgy,  to  be  used  at  its 
close.  The  sacrificial  liturgy  regularly  ended  with  a  blessing 
toward  God,  after  which  the  priestly  blessing  was  pronounced, 
the  putting  of  the  name  of  Yahaweh  upon  His  people.  The 
amen  response  of  the  people,  on  all  occasions  where  such  was 
used,  was   made   in   duplicate,   as   here. 


Lecture  III. — The  Penitentials  of  Shechem 

Analysis  of  Shechem  Psalter — Historical  Notes — The  Fourteen 
Penitentials — Charms  and  Incantations — The  Three  Joy  Hymns 
— A  Great  Ark  Song — The  Curse — Other  Gleanings — A  Mes- 
sianic Conclusion. 

BOOK  n* 

*  As  pointed  out  in  the  Introduction,  Book  II  consisted  originally 
of  Psalms  51-73,  Book  III  of  Psalms  42-50,  73-89.  The  original  ordc 
of  books  has  been  restored  in  this  volume,  but  the  usual  numbering 
of  the  individual  Psalms  retained. 

Psalms  51-64  constitute  a  collection  of  penitentials,  care- 
fully arranged,  all  ascribed  to  David,  and  almost  all  provided 
with  historical  headings  connecting  them  with  events  in  David's 
life,  in  addition  to  the  liturgical  and  musical  notes.  As  pointed 
out  in  the  Introduction  this  collection  is  clearly  Israelite,  and 
was  presumably  brought  to  Jerusalem,  like  Deuteronomy,  at 
the  time  of  the  fall  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel.  For  its  de- 
velopment and  adaptation  for  use  in  the  Jerusalem  Temple 
and  its  very  careful  arrangement  and  organization  we  may 
perhaps  find  an  explanation  in  Is.  8  ^®"^^.  To  this  collection 
of  penitentials  were  added  in  the  final  assembling  of  the  book 
three  joy  hymns  from  one  "Davidic"  source,  and  hence  all 
included  under  one  caption  as  Psalms  of  David  (65-67)  ;  a 
great  Israelite  hymn  of  triumph,  68;  one  more  penitential,  69; 
and  an  Azkara  liturgy  (70).  These  appear  to  have  been 
gleanings  from  Schechemite  psalmodies,  not  included  in  the 
original  book  of  Schechemite  penitentials.  All,  however,  were 
liturgies  of  the  temple  at  Shechem.  This  temple  stood  on  Mt. 
Gerizim  (Dt.  27^"^'^-),^  and  the  Samaritan  temple  erected  on 
that  mountain  after  the  Captivity  was  the  continuator  of  this 
ancient  shrine.  Apparently,  like  the  shrines  of  Bethel  and  Dan, 
and  unlike  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  the  temple  of  Shechem 
was  a  simple,  primitive  construction,  consisting  of   little  more 


^  The  Jewish  Masoretic  text  has  substituted  Ebal  for  Gerizim  in  verse 
4,  but  in  verses  12,  13  correctly  records  Gerizim  as  the  name  of  the 
mountain  of  blessing,  and  Ebal  as  the  mountain  of  cursing.  The  Sa- 
maritan Hebrew  text  reads  Gerizim  and  not  Ebal  in  verse  4. 

210 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  211 

than  the  altar  and  the  sacred  stones,  the  worshippers  worship- 
ping in  the  open.  While  it  may  have  been  fortified,  it  could 
never,  in  spite  of  the  height  and  difficulty  of  access,  have 
been  a  mighty  fortress,  because  of  the  lack  of  living  water. 
The  invader  would  have  had  the  advantage  of  an  abundant 
and  perennial  water  supply  in  the  valley  below,  while  the 
occupants  of  this  Zion  would  have  been  dependent  on  cisterns. 
For  the  same  reason  there  never  could  have  been  a  city  on 
Gerizim,  but  only  a  small  town  of  Temple  priests  and  servants. 
The  city  lay  in  the  valley  below,  not  fortified,  owing  to  its 
peculiar  form  and  position,  by  cirumvallation,  but  provided 
with  holds  at  the  eastern  and  western  ends  of  the  valley  re- 
spectively. The  Temple  on  Gerizim  was  not  the  parish 
church  of  Shechem.  Other  shrines  played  that  part,  and  of 
these  there  were  not  a  few  in  the  immediate  neighborhood, 
notable  among  which  is  the  still  existing  (now  Mohammedan) 
Tomb  of  Joseph,  close  to  the  hold  at  the  eastern  end  of  the 
Shechem  valley.  Near  this  again  lay  the  well  of  Jacob;  while 
at  no  great  distance  are  the  tombs  of  Joshua,  Phinehas  and 
other  ancient  leaders.  The  sanctuary  of  the  covenant  on  Mt 
Gerizim  was  rather  the  cathedral,  to  be  visited  by  all  Israelites 
for  the  great  festivals.  It  was  a  place  of  superlative  holiness, 
and  its  devotees  claimed  for  it  the  unique  right,  as  the  altar 
of  the  covenant,  ordained  by  Moses  and  established  by  the 
elders  at  the  time  of  the  conquest,  of  sacrifice.  There  only 
might  bloody  sacrifice  be  oftered  and  thither  every  Israelite 
should  come  to  celebrate  the  three  great  pilgrim  feasts :  Pass- 
over, Weeks  and  Tabernacles.  This  claim  to  be  the  only 
place  of  sacrifice  was  later  adopted  by  the  Zion  of  Jerusalem, 
together  with  the  Deuteronomic  code  of  laws.  Only  the  little 
remnant  of  Samaritans  continued  to  honor  the  older  sanctuary, 
and  on  Gerizim  they  still  celebrate  the  Passover  in  the  prim- 
itive fashion.  They  have,  however,  been  driven  off  the  highest 
point  of  the  mountain,  where  the  ancient  altar  stood,  and  their 
present  place  of  burning  is  on  lower  ground  westward ;  but 
they  still  preserve  the  tradition  of  the  ancient  site,  which  is 
also  testified  to  by  its  ruins,  and  there  are  spots  on  that  ancient 
site  which  to  this  day  no  Samaritan  will  tread  but  with  bared 
feet. 

Through  70  the  Psalms  contained  in  this  book  are  derived 
from  Israelite  sources,  although  arranged  for  use  in  the  Jeru- 


212 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


salem  Temple  and  hence  entitled  "of  David."  ^  To  the  Psalm 
book  thus  formed  was  added  later  from  Judean  sources,  and 
without  a  heading,  Ps.  71.  When  finally  books  I  and  II  were 
combined  into  one  greater  Psalter  of  the  Jerusalem  Temple,  in 
the  exilian  or  early  post-exilian  period,  the  whole  was  framed, 
as  it  were,  by  two  Messianic  hymns,  2  and  72,  a  doxology 
was  added  (72^^-"),  and  the  colophon  (72^°):  The  Prayers 
of  David  the  son  of  Jesse  are  ended. 


LI 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David,  when  Nathan  the  prophet  came  unto  him, 

after  he   had  gone  in  to   Bathsheba. 


HAVE  mercy  upon  me,  O  God, 
according  to  thy  lovingkind- 
ness :  according  unto  the  multitude 
of  thy  tender  mercies  blot  out  my 
transgressions. 

2  Wash  me  thoroughly  from 
mine  iniquity,  and  cleanse  me 
from    my    sin. 

3  For  I  acknowledge  my  trans- 
gressions :  and  my  sin  is  ever 
before    me. 

4  Against  thee,  thee  only,  have 
I  sinned,  and  done  this  evil  in 
thy  sight:  that  thou  mightest  be 
justified  when  thou  speakest,  and 
be   clear   when   thou  judgest. 

5  Behold,  I  was  shapen  in  in- 
iquity ;  and  in  sin  did  my  mother 
conceive   me. 

6  Behold,  thou  desirest  truth  in 
the  inward  parts :  and  in  the  hid- 
den part  thou  shalt  make  me  to 
know    wisdom. 

7  Purge  me  with  hyssop,  and 
I  shall  be  clean :  wash  me,  and 
I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow. 

8  Make  me  to  hear  joy  and 
gladness ;  tliat  the  bones  zuhich 
thou   hast   broken   may   rejoice. 

9  Hide  thy  face  from  my  sins, 
and  blot  out  all   mine  iniquities. 


1.  Pity  me,  O  God,  according  to 

Thy  love. 
In     Thine     abounding     mercy 
wipe   out   mine   offences. 

2.  Throughly  wash  me  from  my 

guilt, 
And  cleanse  me  from  my  sin. 

3.  For   I  confess   mine  ofifences ; 
And    my    sin    is    ever    before 

me. 

4.  Against     Thee     only    have     I 

sinned, 

And    done  the    evil    in    Thy 

sight ; 

That   Thou  shouldst   be    right 

in   Thy  words, 

Accurate  in  Thy  judgment. 

5.  Behold,    in  guilt    was    I    be- 

gotten. 
And    in    sin    my    mother   con- 
ceived   me. 

6.  Lo,  Thou  desirest  truth  with- 

in, 
And   teachest   me   wisdom    se- 
cretly ; 

7.  Thou    purgest    me    with    hys- 

sop,   and    I  am    clean. 

Thou   washest  me,   and    I   am 

whiter   than  snow. 

8.  Thou     makest  me    hear    joy 

and   gladness. 
Till     the     bones     Thou     hast 
broken   exult. 

9.  Hide   Thy   face   from  my   sin. 
And    wipe    out    all    my    guilt; 


^  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  in  this  collection  we  find  the  same  emphasis 
on  the  love  of  God  which  is  characteristic  of  Hosea  and  Deuteronomy. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


213 


10  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart, 
O  God ;  and  renew  a  right  spirit 
within   me. 

11  Cast  me  not  away  from  thy 
presence ;  and  take  not  thy  Holy 
Spirit    from    me. 

12  Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of 
thy  salvation ;  and  uphold  me 
xvith    thy    free    Spirit. 

13  Then  will  I  teach  transgres- 
sors thy  ways ;  and  sinners  shall 
be  converted  unto  thee. 

14  Deliver  me  from  bloodguilt- 
iness,  O  God,  thou  God  of  my 
salvation :  and  my  tongue  shall 
sing  aloud   of  thy   righteousness. 

15  O  Lord,  open  thou  my  lips ; 
and  my  mouth  shall  shew  forth 
thy  praise. 

16  For  thou  desirest  not  sac- 
rifice ;  else  would  I  give  it :  thou 
delightest  not  in  burnt  offering. 

17  The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a 
broken  spirit:  a  broken  and  a 
contrite  heart,  O  God,  thou  wilt 
not    despise. 

18  Do  good  in  thy  good  pleas- 
ure unto  Zion :  build  thou  the 
walls  of  Jerusalem. 

19  Then  shalt  thou  be  pleased 
with  the  sacrifices  of  righteous- 
ness, with  burnt  offering  and 
whole  burnt  offering:  then  shall 
they  offer  bullocks  upon  thine 
altar. 


10.  Make    me    a    clean    heart,    O 

God, 
And  renew  a  firm  spirit  with- 
in me. 

11.  Cast  me   not   away   from   Th> 

face, 
And  take  not  Thy  holy   spirit 
from  me; 

12.  Restore    me    the    joy    of    Thy 

salvation, 
And    with    willing    spirit   sup- 
port me. 

13.  Let     me     teach     transgressors 

Thy  ways, 
That     sinners     may     turn     to 
Thee. 

14.  Rescue     me     from     blood,     O 

God, 
God  of  my  salvation. 

My  tongue  shouteth  Thy  right- 
eousness. 

15.  The     Lord    openeth    my    lips, 
And  my  mouth  declareth  Thy 

praise. 

16.  For    Thou    delightest    not    in 

the     sacrifice     that     I     may 
give; 
In   burnt   offering   Thou   hast 
no   pleasure. 

17.  The    sacrifices    of    God   are    a 

broken    spirit, 

A  crushed  and  broken 
heart  Thou  despisest  not, 
O  God. 

18.  Show    good    in   Thy   kindness 

unto    Zion, 
Build  thou  the  walls  of  Jeru- 
salem ; 

19.  Then   shalt   Thou  have   pleas- 

ure in  right  sacrifices, 
Burnt    offering,    and    entire; 
Then  shall  they  offer  on  Thine 

altar    bullocks. 


Psalm  of  Purification 

This  Psalm  breathes  the  same  atmosphere  as  Ps.  40.  Like 
Is.  I  it  lays  the  stress  on  purification,  and  not  merely  on  the 
ritual  acts  of  purification,  but  on  what  they  symbolize  of  purg- 
ing of  the  heart  from  uncleanness  and  sin.  As  over  against 
the  material  side  of  sacrifice,  the  feeding  God  with  sheep  and 


214  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

bullocks,  it  emphasizes,  like  Ps.  69,  as  the  part  of  the  sac- 
rificial ritual  acceptable  to  Him,  the  praise  songs  which  go 
up  from  the  hearts  of  His  worshippers,  the  same  idea  ex- 
pressed in  that  old  title  of  God:  "Inhabiter  of  the  praise 
songs  of  Israel."     The  original  Psalm  ended  with  vs.  17. 

Pity  me  (1)  ;  the  old  familiar  appeal  (cf.  Ps.  4^).  Wipe  out, 
erase  from  the  book  or  tablet  of  life  on  which  they  are  writ- 
ten; an  old  and  common  idea,  which  meets  us  also  in  Baby- 
lonian liturgies.  This  idea  of  the  book  of  life  is  found  in 
Ps.  9«,  69==«,  Deut  9'\  29  ^^  2  K.  14",  Ex.  32  3^  Is. 
43  ",  to  cite  a  few  references  among  many.  It  runs  through 
all  Hebrew  literature,  and  comes  down  into  the  New  Testa- 
ment (cf.  Phil.  4^  Rev.  3^).  Following  this  preliminary 
appeal  comes  the  plea  for  purification  (2)  by  washing,  and 
the  requisite  confession  of  sin  (3),  without  which  as  a  pre- 
liminary no  sacrifice,  no  praise  song,  no  purification  rites  could 
be  effective,  a  conception  as  ancient  as  modern,  common  to  the 
Babylonian  as  to  the  Hebrew  and  the  Christian  religions. 
Against  Thee  only  (4)  expresses  Hebrew  monotheism  in 
contrast  with  heathen  polytheism.  Babylonian  penitentials  are 
full  of  the  search  after  the  deity  offended,  naming  this  god 
and  that,  and  frequently  "the  god  unknown,"  "the  goddess 
unknown,"  in  their  effort  to  locate  the  offended  deity.  To  the 
Judean  or  Israelite  worshipper  of  the  orthodox  faith  the  sin 
which  has  produced  the  calamity  can  be  only  against  the  one 
God,  Yahawch  or  Elohim. 

5.  The  inherent  sinfulness  of  man  was  a  tenet  of  the  Hebrew 
(cf.  Is.  6,  Job  15,  25)  as  of  the  Babylonian  and  many  other 
religions.  The  Hebrew  connected  it  with  the  act  of  conception 
(cf.  the  story  of  Eden,  Gen.  3).  That  act  made  man  or 
woman  unclean.  So  the  man  might  not  go  to  battle  or  take 
part  in  a  sacrifice  within  a  certain  time  after  lying  with  a 
woman,  and  rituals  of  cleansing  were  provided  in  the  Law. 
This  is  the  zvord  and  judgment  of  God  referred  to  in  vv.  4,  5. 
That  Thou  shouldest  he;  after  the  Hebrew  manner  of  ex- 
pressing as  the  divine  purpose  what  we  might  often  express 
as  a  sequence.  Man  is  by  nature,  from  birth,  sinful  and 
unclean  before  God,  as  is  shown  clearly  in  the  word  and 
laws  of  God. 

6-8.  Ritual  cleanliness  was  and  is  a  common  law  of  religion. 
Washings  were  universally  prescribed,  accompanied  often  with 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  215 

the  use  of  certain  herbs,  and  temples  were  always  provided 
with  lavers  and  pools  for  purification.  Among  the  Hebrews 
the  ritual  of  washing  played  an  important  part,  cf.  the  story 
of  Naaman  (2  K.  5),  and  the  provisions  for  ritual  use  of 
water  in  cleansing  guilt  in  the  Holiness  laws  (Lev.  13  ff), 
where  also  the  use  of  hyssop  is  directed.  This  ritual  became 
in  the  later  days,  because  of  its  evident  and  effective  symbolism, 
almost  sacramental,  as  with  the  Essenes,  and  the  followers 
of  John  the  Baptist,  and  ultimately  altogether  so  in  Christian 
baptism.  In  these  verses  we  have  the  hymn  to  accompany  the 
ritual  acts  of  purification,  using  the  old  familiar  ritual  lan- 
guage, which  lies  behind  Is.  1  ^^•^^,  but  emphasizing  (v.  6)  the 
spiritual  significance  of  the  act,  that  the  cleansing  of  the  body 
is  a  symbol  of  the  cleansing  of  the  unseen  inward  or  secret 
parts  of  the  man,  and  ending  with  a  praise  cry,  corresponding 
in  thought  to  Is.  1  ^^-  ^^ ;  for  Isaiah  when  he  wrote  that  prophecy 
had  such  a  ritual  as  this  in  mind.  The  figure  of  the  broken 
bones  here  used  is  a  favorite  one  (Cf.  Ps.  35^°,  44  ^^  Is.  38"). 
9-12.  The  ritual  act  of  purification  completed,  there  follows 
the  petition  of  the  purified  suppliant  for  the  blessing  which 
should  come  to  the  clean,  repeating  first  the  petition  with 
which  the  Psalm  began  for  the  remission  of  guilt  and  the 
eft'acing  of  the  record  of  it  from  the  book  of  life,  and  then 
praying  for  the  inward  purification  of  which  the  outward  was 
but  a  symbol  in  one  of  the  most  spiritual  passages  in  the 
whole  Psalter.  The  word  spirit,  it  will  be  observed,  occurs 
three  times.  The  spirit  of  God  in  man  expressed  itself  in 
common  thought  in  mighty  or  extraordinary  or  even  outrageous 
acts,  just  as  God's  spirit  expressed  Him  in  nature.  It  was 
by  inspiration  that  Samson  wrought  his  deeds  of  superhuman 
strength,  that  men  went  mad,  tore  off  their  clothes,  and 
rolled  on  the  ground  in  ecstasies  of  so-called  prophecy. 
But  there  was  another  conception,  also  early,  and  at  last 
made  dominant  through  the  teaching  of  the  higher  prophecy, 
which  is  beautifully  and  forcibly  expressed  in  the  story  of 
Elijah  (IK.  19),  of  the  true  spirit  of  God  as  the  still  small 
voice  (cf .  also  Job  4  ^^0  i"  the  heart  of  man,  instead  of  these 
storm  and  whirlwind  manifestations  of  power.  That  is  the 
conception  of  this  passage.  Clean  heart  and  firm  spirit  (10) 
express  our  clear  conscience  and  consequent  confident  spirit. 
Cast  me  not  away  from  Thy  face  (11)  is  an  old  idea  expressed. 


216  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

as  it  were,  in  reversed  form,  and  in  that  form  familiar  in  the 
late  post-exilian  literature  (cf.  Jer.  7  ^\  2  K.  13",  1720^  242"). 
Thy  holy  spirit,  or  spirit  of  Thy  holiness  (cf.  Is.  63 ")  ex- 
presses the  inspiration  of  the  suppliant  by  that  essential  element 
of  God,  His  holiness.  With  that  relation  undisturbed  he  may 
confidently  expect  renewed  joy  in  the  deliverances  or  victories 
(salvation  12)  wrought  for  him  by  God,  and  the  willing  support 
of  God's  spiritual  presence  within  him.  The  thought  of  the  pas- 
sage in  its  origin  is  ancient  prophetic  good,  as  shown  in  the  story 
of  Elijah  already  referred  to  (cf.  also  1  Sam.  10  '^)  ;  it  finds  fuller 
expression  in  the  late  pre-exilian  and  exilian  prophets,  Jeremiah 
and  Ezekiel,  and  especially  the  latter  (11^^,  and  36-"^),  who 
seem  to  have  our  Psalm  behind  them. 

The  following  stanza,  13,  14,  commencing  with  a  didactic 
clause,  closes  with  the  praise  cry,  usually  connected  in  some 
way  with  the  sacrifice,  expressing  the  suppliant's  confident  hope 
that  his  pardon  and  release  from  mortal  peril  (blood,  i.  e.,  not 
blood  guilt,  but  the  shedding  of  his  own  life  blood)  may  be  an 
example  to  lead  other  transgressors  to  God.  God  of  my  salva- 
tion, regarded  by  some  as  a  gloss,  is  vouched  for  in  a  similar 
relation  to  the  ritual  by  Ps.  24^.  The  sacrificial  clause,  15-17, 
expresses  the  spirit  of  the  writing  prophets  from  Plosea  to  Jere- 
miah (cf.  Hos.  6^,  Is.  1)  of  protest  against  the  material  view  of 
sacrifice.  This  liturgy  implies  sacrifice  (16),  but  emphasizes 
above  it  the  purification  and  praise  song  (15)  parts  of  the  ritual, 
and  accompanies  the  sacrifice,  as  it  had  the  purification,  with  a 
spiritual  interpretation  (17),  not  unfamiliar  earlier  (cf.  Ps.  34"), 
and  which  became  a  favorite  with  the  Deutero-Isaiah  (cf.  Is.  57^®, 
66^).  Verse  15  expressed  the  same  idea  with  regard  to  the 
praise  song  in  its  relation  to  sacrifice  as  Ps.  69  ^°^  but  the 
word  Adonai  (Lord)  suggests  either  a  late  addition,  or  a 
change  of  the  text  by  a  scribe. 

To  this  Psalm  was  added  later,  either  in  the  Exile,  or  in  the 
century  succeeding  the  Exile  and  preceding  Nehemiah,  a  stanza 
as  unappreciative  and  subversive  of  the  spirit  of  the  preceding 
Psalm  as  the  speeches  of  Elihu  are  of  the  book  of  Job.  The 
composer  seems  to  interpret  the  exaltation  of  purification  and 
praise  over  sacrifice  as  meaning  that  the  latter  could  not  be 
properly  offered  because  of  the  unwalled  condition  of  Jeru- 
salem, so  lamented  and  bewailed  before  the  time  of  Nehemiah 
(cf.  book  of  Nehemiah),  and  without  these  sacrifices  the 
bounties  of  God  could  not  be  realized.     He  therefore  beseeches 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  217 

the  blessing  of  God  on  Zion  to  build  up  the  walls  of  Jeru- 
salem, with  the  promise  that  then  there  shall  be  offered  unto 
Him  the  richest  and  most  desirable  of  all  offerings,  holocausts  of 
bullocks.  It  represents  the  old  sacrificial  view  of  religion,  as 
showing  itself  in  what  we  may  call  the  Catholic  revival  of  Ezekiel, 
which  culminated  in  the  legalism  of  Ezra  two  hundred  years  later. 

The  collection  of  liturgies  of  which  this  Psalm  is  the  first 
(51-72)  is  marked  by  the  use  of  the  name  Elohim  for  the 
Divinity  as  of  Israelite  origin,  and,  as  pointed  out  in  the 
Introduction,  it  was,  like  the  book  of  Deuteronomy,  adopted 
and  adapted  for  use  in  the  Jerusalem  Temple  sometime  after 
the  fall  of  Samaria  (721  B.  C),  perhaps  at  the  Reformation 
of  Josiah  (621  B.  C),  when  Deuteronomy  was  adopted  as  the 
Bible  of  the  Judeans.  At  the  time  of  the  capture  of  Samaria 
the  religion  of  Israel  stood  spiritually  and  ethically  above  that 
of  Judah,  as  is  shown  by  a  comparison  of  the  Elohistic  and 
Yahawistic  narratives  in  the  Pentateuch,  and  as  testified  to  by 
both  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel.  It  was  the  impact  of  such  higher 
thought  as  is  represented  in  Deuteronomy  and  in  this  Psalm 
(in  its  original  form)  which  brought  about  the  renaissance 
in  Judah,  of  the  time  of  Hezekiah  and  Isaiah,  out  of  which 
again  came  the  Reformation  of  Josiah  and  Jeremiah.  This 
Psalm  seems  to  have  been  originally  a  general  penitential  for 
national  use  at  solemn  assemblies;  rather  than  a  liturgy  for 
special  occasions. 

Verse  4^  (Greek  translation)  is  quoted  in  Rom.  3*,  and, 
without  actual  citation,  words  and  thoughts  of  this  Psalm  lie 
behind  an  astonishing  number  of  New  Testament  passages.  It 
may  be  said,  incidentally,  that  no  other  book  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment was  so  familiar  to  the  New  Testament  writers  and  so 
used  by  them  as  the  book  of  Psalms.  This  is  one  of  the 
seven  great  penitentials  of  the  Christian  Church,  especially 
assigned  for  the  opening  of  Lent.  Thus  rendered  especially 
familiar  it  has  been  a  source  of  consolation  and  support  to 
many  in  the  hour  of  trial.  Henry  V  of  England  caused  it 
to  be  read  to  him  on  his  deathbed;  and  when  they  came  to 
V,  18,  the  record  says,  he  declared  his  bitter  disappointment 
that  he  had  not  lived  to  follow  up  his  preparations  to  deliver 
Jerusalem.  Thomas  More  and  Lady  Jane  Grey  recited  it 
on  their  knees  at  the  scaffold ;  and  Count  Egmont  on  the  way 
thither. 


218 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


LII 

For  the  Chief  Musician,  Maschil  of  David:    When   Doeg  the  EJomite  came  and  told 
Saul,  and  said  unto  him,  David  is  come  to  the  house  of  Ahimelech. 


WHY  boastest  thou  thyself  in 
mischief,  O  mighty  man?  the 
goodness  of  God  endurcth  con- 
tinually. 

2  Thy  tongue  deviseth  mis- 
chiefs ;  like  a  sharp  razor,  work- 
ing   deceitfully. 

3  Thou  lovest  evil  more  than 
good ;  and  lying  rather  than  to 
speak     righteousness.      Selah. 

4  Thou  lovest  all  devouring 
words,    O    thou    deceitful    tongue. 

5  God  shall  likewise  destroy 
thee  for  ever,  he  shall  take  thee 
away,  and  pluck  thee  out  of  thy 
dwelling  place,  and  root  thee  out 
of  the  land   of  the  living.     Selah. 

6  The  righteous  also  shall  see, 
and  fear,  and  shall  laugh  at  him : 

7  Lo,  this  is  the  man  that  made 
not  God  his  strength ;  but  trusted 
in  the  abundance  of  his  riches, 
and  strengthened  himself  in  his 
wickedness. 

8  But  I  am  like  a  green  olive 
tree  in  the  house  of  God :  I 
trust  in  the  mercy  of  God  for 
ever   and   ever. 

9  I  will  praise  the  for  ever, 
because  thou  hast  done  it :  and  I 
will  wait  on  thy  name ;  for  it  is 
good   before  thy   saints. 


1.  Why     boastest     thou     in     the 

bad,    the    warrior? 

God's  love  every  day. 

2.  Guile    thy    tongue    deviseth. 
Like    a    sharp    knife    making 

deceit ; 

3.  Thou    hast    loved    bad    more 

than  good, 
Lies    than    speaking    right. 

Selah. 

4.  Thou  hast  loved  all  words  of 

devouring, 
Tongue  of  deceit. 

5.  So   God  break  thee  down  for- 

ever, 
Grasp    and    tear    thee    out    of 

house. 
And    thy    root    from    the    land 

of  the  living.  Selah. 

6.  And    the    righteous    shall    see 

and    stand    in   awe, 
And  they  shall  laugh  at  him: 

7.  Behold    the    man    that   maketh 

not   God   his   stronghold, 
But     trusteth     in     his     great 

riches, 
Strengtheneth    himself    in    his 

guile. 

8.  And   I — like  a  green  olive   in 

God's   house. 
Have    trusted    in    God's    love 
for    ever    and    aye. 

9.  I  will   thank  Thee  alway,   for 

Thou   hast  done  it. 
And  I  wait  on  Thy  name,  for 
it  is  good   to   Thy   beloved, 


Maskil  Against  Evil  Machinations 

This  is  the  first  of  a  series  of  four  maskils  (see  Introduc- 
tion). It  is  of  the  nature  of  an  incantation  against  the  wiles 
and  machinations  of  a  foe  who  has  not  made  open  war,  but 
has  brought  Israel  into  distress  of  «iome  sort  by  magic  power, 
i.  e.,  guile,  deceit  and  lies,  all  terms  applied  to  heathen  gods 
and  worship. 

The  first  verse  is  untranslatable,  as  witness  the  translations. 
It  sounds  curiously  like  a  heading  of  the  Psalm  in  two  parts; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  219 

first  its  purpose,  against  some  one  to  be  named  on  occasion 
of  its  use,  here  designated  the  warrior,  and  in  v.  7  the  man, 
who  is  employing  the  evil  power  to  injure  the  suppliant; 
secondly,  the  method  by  which  this  is  to  be  overcome,  cited 
roughly  from  v.  8,  by  the  love  of  Elohim  (God),  in  which 
the  suppliant  trusts  at  all  times. 

The  first  stanza  (2,  3)  describes  the  wicked  methods  of  this 
adversary  in  necessarily  vague  terms,  after  which  comes  an 
outburst  of  shouting  and  music,  indicated  by  selah.  The  second 
stanza  (4,  5),  after  stating  the  purpose  of  his  adversary,  to 
devour  the  suppliant  by  his  wiles,  announces  (or  prays  for) 
in  harsh  and  archaic  phraseology  the  punishment  of  the  ad- 
versary in  life  and  property  by  means  of  the  name  and  power 
of  Elohim.  After  which  comes  another  outburst  of  noise 
and  shouting  {selah).  Then  comes  the  summons  to  the  followers 
of  Elohim  to  triumph  over  the  godless  adversary  (61  '),  here  de- 
scribed as  the  rich,  as  against  the  poor,  the  common  designation 
of  the  faithful  Israelite.  Then  follows  the  thanks  song  of  the 
suppliant  (8,  9),  his  sacrifice  accepted  and  hence  his  prayer 
answered,  who  describes  himself  in  the  language  of  that  olive 
growing  country  as  like  an  olive  tree,  ever  fresh  and  green  in  the 
courts  of  God's  house  (cf.  Jer.  11  ^^). 

Such  a  liturgy,  originally  designated  for  royal  or  national 
use,  lent  itself  readily  to  the  use  of  the  ordinary  sufferer 
from  sickness  or  other  calrmity,  ascribed  to  demoniac  pos- 
session due  to  the  wiles  of  enemies. 


LIU,  See  XIV 

To   the   chief   Musician   on   Neginoth,    Maschil,   A    Psalm    of   David,    when    the  Ziphims 
came  and  said  to  Saul,  Doth  not  David  hide  himself  with  us? 


AVE  me,  O  God,  by  thy  name, 
and  judge  me  by  thy  strength. 


2  Hear  my  prayer,  O  God;  give 
ear   to  the   words   of  my   mouth. 

3  For  strangers  are  risen  up 
against  me,  and  oppressors  seek 
after  my  soul:  they  have  not  set 
God    before    them.      Selah. 

4  Behold,  God  is  mine  helper: 
the  Lord  is  with  them  that  up- 
hold   my    soul. 


1.  God,   by    Thy    name    save    me, 
And  by  Thy  might  give  judg- 
ment for    me. 

2.  God,     hear     my    prayer, 
Give  ear  to  the  words  of  my 

mouth. 

3.  For  strangers  are  risen  against 

me, 
And     the    frightful     seek     my 

life, 
Who  have  not  set  God  before 

them. 

Selah. 

4.  Behold,  God  is  my  helper, 
The  Lord   sustaineth   me. 


220 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


5  He  shall  reward  evil  unto 
mine  enemies :  cut  them  off  in  thy 
truth. 

6  I  will  freely  sacrifice  unto 
thee :  I  will  praise  thy  name,  O 
Lord;   for  it  is  good. 

7  For  he  hath  delivered  me 
out  of  all  trouble :  and  mine  eye 
hath  seen  his  desire  upon  mine 
enemies. 


5.  He  requiteth  the  evil  to  mine 

adversaries ; 
By     Thy     truth     exterminate 
them. 

6.  With    free    will    I   would    sac- 

rifice  to   Thee, 
Thank    Thy    name,    Lord,    for 
it  is  good. 

7.  For     from    every     strait     He 

hath  rescued  me ; 
And  mine  eye  hath  looked  on 
my   foes. 


Maskil  Against  Invaders 

This  maskil  is  a  liturgy  for  deliverance  from  invading  foes. 
It  lays  special  stress  on  the  names  Elohim  and  Yahaweh  as  the 
delivering  power  against  the  gods  of  the  strangers. 

The  first  stanza  (1-3)  is  the  petition,  with  statement  of  its 
cause,  viz.,  the  invasion  of  foreigners  of  alien  religion,  who 
are  working  f rightfulness  in  the  land ;  and  is  followed  by  the 
selah.  Save  me  (1)  is  equivalent  to  give  me  victory.  The  second 
stanza  (4,  5)  is  partly  confident  statement  of,  partly  confident 
prayer  for  the  extermination  of  the  invaders.  Lord  (4) 
is,  I  fancy,  a  later  scribal  substitution  for  either  my  God 
(Elohifn)  or  Yahaweh.  The  third  stanza  (6,  7)  is  the  sacri- 
ficial praise  cry  for  the  thank  offering,  given  of  free  zvill, 
and  not  a  regular  specified  sacrifice.  And  mine  eye  hath  looked, 
etc.,  is  a  common  Psalm  phrase  to  describe  victory   (cf.  59  ^'^), 


LV 

To  the  chief  Musician  on   Neginoth,    Maschil,  A   Psalm  of  David. 


GIVE  ear  to  my  prayer,  O  God ; 
and    hide    not    thyself     from 
my   supplication. 

2  Attend  unto  me,  and  hear  me : 
I  mourn  in  my  complaint,  and 
make   a   noise ; 

3  Because  of  the  voice  of  the 
enemy,  because  of  the  oppression 
of  the  wicked:  for  they  cast  in- 
iquity upon  me,  and  in  wrath  they 
hate   me. 

4  My  heart  is  sore  pained  with- 
in me :  and  the  terrors  of  death 
are    fallen  upon    me. 


1.  Give     ear,     O     God,     to     my 

prayer, 
And    hide   not    from    my    sup- 
plication. 

2.  Attend  to  me  and  answer  me, 
I  chant  fervently  and  lament; 

3.  From  the  voice  of  the  foe. 
From   the   magic  of   the   god- 
less; 

For  they  shake  against  me  an 

image. 
And    in    anger   persecute    me. 

4.  My  heart  is  in  anguish  within 

me, 
And  death's  terrors  are  fallen 
upon   me; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


221 


5  Fearfulness  and  trembling  are 
come  upon  me,  and  horror  hath 
overwhehned   me. 

6  And  I  said,  Oh  that  I  had 
wings  Hke  a  dove!  for  then  would 
I   fly   away,   and   be   at   rest. 

7  Lo,  then  would  I  wander  far 
off,  and  remain  in  the  wildeme.'s. 
Selah. 

8  I  would  hasten  my  escape 
from  the  windy  storm  and  tem- 
pest. 

9  Destroy,  O  Lord,  and  divide 
their  tongues:  for  I  have  seen 
violence   and   strife   in   the   city. 

10  Day  and  night  they  go  about 
it  upon  the  walls  thereof:  mis- 
chief also  and  sorrow  are  in  the 
midst   of    it. 

11  Wickedness  is  in  the  mid^t 
thereof:  deceit  and  guile  depart 
not   from  her  streets. 

12  For  it  was  not  an  enen  y 
that  reproacheth  me;  then  I  could 
have  borne  it :  neither  zt'as  it  he 
that  hated  me  that  did  magnify 
himself  against  me ;  then  I  would 
have  hid  myself    from  him : 

13  But  it  ivas  thou,  a  man  mine 
equal,  my  guide,  and  mine  ac- 
quaintance. 

14  We  took  sweet  counsel  to- 
gether, and  walked  unto  the  house 
of    God    in    company. 

15  Let  death  seize  upon  them, 
and  let  them  go  down  quick  into 
hell :  for  wickedness  is  in  their 
dwellings,  and  among  them. 

16  As  for  me,  I  will  call  upon 
God;  and  the  Lord  shall  save  me. 

17  Evening,  and  morning,  and 
at  noon,  will  I  pray,  and  cry 
aloud:  and  he  shall  hear  my 
voice. 

18  He  hath  delivered  my  soul 
in  peace  from  the  battle  that  was 
against  me :  for  there  were  many 
with    me. 

19  God  shall  hear,  and  afflict 
them,  even  he  that  abideth  of  old. 
Selah.  Because  they  have  no 
changes,  therefore  they  fear  not 
God. 


5.  Fear    and    trembling    are    en- 

tered  in  to  me, 
And  horror  hath  overwhelmed 
me. 

6.  And     I     said:       O     for     the 

v.'ings    of    a   dove. 
To    fly   away   and   be    at   rest. 

7.  Lo,    I    would   wander   afar, 

I    would    lodge   in   the    desert. 

Selah. 

8.  Haste   Thee   to   rescue   me. 
From    storm    spirit    and    tem- 
pest. 

9.  Destroy,     Lord,     divide     their 

tongue. 
For  I  have  seen  violence  and 
strife   in   the   tov/n. 

10.  Day    and    night    they    encircle 

her; 
On  her  walls  images  and  sor- 
cery, 

11.  In  the  midst  of  her  engulfing 

ruin; 
From    her   squares    fraud   and 
guile    depart    not. 

12.  Did    an    enemy    shame    me,    I 

would   bear  it ; 
My     hater     magnify     himself 
against    me,    I    would    hide; 

13.  But    Thou,    mine    equal,    mine 

intimate   friend ; 

14.  We     who     sweetly     feast     to- 

gether. 
In    God's    house    walk    in    the 
throng! 

15.  May   death  come   suddenly  on 

them, 
That  they  go  down  alive  into 

hell ; 
For    evil    is    in    their    houses 

within. 

16.  I — unto    God    I   cry. 

And    the    Lord    saveth    me. 

17.  Evening  and  morning  I  chant 

and    lament. 
And    He   heard    my   voice. 

18.  He     redeemed    me    in     safety 

from    mine    opponents, 
Foi  they  were  too  many  for  me, 

19.  God  heareth  and  answereth  me. 
He,  enthroned  of  eld. 

Selah. 
In  case   they   change   not,   and 
fear  not  God. 


222 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


20  He  hath  put  forth  his  hands 
against  such  as  be  at  peace  with 
him :  he  hath  broken  his  covenant. 

21  The  words  of  his  mouth 
v/ere  smoother  than  butter,  but 
war  was  in  his  heart :  his  words 
were  softer  than  oil,  yet  ivere 
they   drawn    swords. 

22  Cast  thy  burden  upon  the 
Lord,  and  he  shall  sustain  thee : 
he  shall  never  suffer  the  righteous 
to   be   moved. 

23  But  thou,  O  God,  shalt  bring 
them  down  into  the  pit  of  destruc- 
tion :  bloody  and  deceitful  men 
shall  not  live  out  half  their  days; 
but  I  will  trust  in  thee. 


20.  He  put  out  his  hands  against 

his  allies, 
He  profaned  his  covenant. 

21.  Smoother      than      butter      his 

mouth, 
And  war  in  his  heart; 
Softer  than  oil  his   words, 
And    they   are    swords. 

22.  Cast  on   the   Lord   thy  lot, 
And    He    will   be    thine    advo- 
cate, 

He  will  never  let  the  right- 
eous be  moved. 

22).  And  Thou,  God,  bringest  them 
down  to  the  pit  of  destruc- 
tion; 

Men  of  blood  and  guile  do 
not  halve  their  days ; 

But    I    do    trust   in    Thee. 


Maskil  Against  Magic 

This  maskil  is  of  the  nature  of  an  incantation  against  foes 
within,  the  internal  disturbances  being  regarded  as  due  to  god- 
less and  magical  devices  of  adversaries.  The  language  of  this 
Psalm  is  in  places  difficult  and  doubtful.  Partly  this  is  due 
to  the  number  of  unusual  and  doubtful  words,  which  were  not 
understood  at  a  later  time,  whence  have  risen  probably  cor- 
ruptions of  the  text.  Passages  in  Hosea,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah, 
Ezekiel,  Deutero-Isaiah,  Job  and  the  historical  books  show  the 
existence  of  witchcraft  and  sorcery,  but  all  such  passages  are 
dark  and  confused  and  throw  little  light  on  details.  In  all 
of  them  magic  arts  are  mixed  up  with  idolatry  and  heathen 
practises  and  general  evil  doing  in  such  a  manner  that  it  is 
difficult  to  determine  whether  a  given  word  refers  to  what 
we  should  call  magic,  or  to  the  practises  of  a  different  religion, 
or  to  political  and  national  hostility,  or  to  general  evil  doing. 

Chant  fervently  and  lament  (2)  is  the  description  of  the 
liturgical  efforts  to  secure  God's  attention  and  His  answer  to 
the  prayer  for  help  from  the  foe  (cf.  v.  17).  The  godless  (3) 
are  not  here  the  heathen  and  the  image  not  that  of  a  heathen 
god,  but  the  same  words  are  here  used  against  internal  ad- 
versaries as  elsewhere  against  the  heathen,  precisely  as  in 
Ps.  2,  Jer.  9.  Shake  (3)  :  a  very  common  form  of  magic  was  to 
make  an  image  of  the  person  to  be  injured,  and  to  do  to  it 
injuries  symbolizing  what  its  makers  desired  to  have  done  to 
the  person  whom  they  wished  to  kill  or  harm,  accompanying  the 


THE  PSALAIS  AS  LITURGIES  223 

same  with  magical  formulae.  The  latter  are  referred  to  in 
the  references  to  tongue,  fraud,  deceit,  guile,  etc.,  which  appear 
in  this  and  similar  forms  of  incantation,  which  are  equally 
as  dangerous  as  material  acts  of  violence.  This  or  some 
liturgy  with  language  similar  to  vv.  6  and  7  was  evidently 
in  Jeremiah's  mind  when  he  wrote  chap.  9.  As  a  priest  of 
the  Temple  he  was  naturally  familiar  with  the  liturgies  of 
the  Temple,  and  his   prophecies   are   saturated   with   them. 

The  stanzas  of  this  Psalm  follow  the  usual  order,  first 
(1-3)  the  appeal  and  its  cause,  followed  (4-7)  by  a  pity- 
stirring  description  of  the  suppliant's  distress.  Then,  after 
the  selah,  comes  the  cry  to  God  for  action  (8-11),  coupled 
with  a  further  representation  of  the  suppliant's  condition;  the 
king  surrounded  by  adversaries  in  his  own  town,  secretly  plot- 
ting against  him  with  witchcraft  and  sorcery.  Spirit  (8),  or 
wind.  These  adversaries  are  described  in  the  next  stanza 
(12-15)  as  being  not  outside  foes,  but  they  of  his  own  house- 
hold (cf.  Ps.  41  ^),  who  have  shared  with  him  in  the  Temple 
feasts  and  taken  part  in  the  festival  ceremonies  (cf.  Ps.  42*), 
the  stanza  ending  with  the  customary  prayer  for  their  horrible 
destruction  (cf.  Num.  16^°'^^).  The  closing  stanza  (16-19) 
is  the  usual  confident  cry  of  the  suppliant  whose  sacrifice  is 
offered  and  accepted,  a  selah  taking  the  place  of  the  ordinary 
doxology  or  closing  praise  cry  and  indicating  its  use  at  this 
point.  And  at  noon  (v.  17)  makes  an  impossible  verse.  It 
seems  to  be  an  addition  from  a  later  period,  when  to  the 
morning  and  evening  services  had  been  added  the  noon  or 
mid-morn  service  (cf.  Dan.  6^°,  and  see  Introduction).  In 
verse  19  is  used  the  primitive  name  for  God,  El,  and  so  He 
is    described   as    enthroned   of  yore   or   eld. 

At  a  later  date  there  was  added  an  alternative  or  additional 
form  of  incantation  (20-22),  which  may  be  used,  as  the  heading 
states  (19 '^),  in  case  the  former  is  not  effective.  It  is  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  preceding  in  language,  and  appears  to  come  from 
Yahawistic  instead  of  Elohistic  circles.  If  the  powers  of  evil  are 
not  in  fear  of  Elohim  (19),  try  them  with  Yahaweh  (22).  It 
sounds  as  though  it  were  originally  directed  against  outside 
enemies,  or  at  least  it  uses  the  language  of  liturgies  so  in- 
tended (20).  Cast-lot  (22);  a  phrase  of  uncertain  meaning. 
It  may  refer  to  some  lot  casting  ritual  (cf .  1  Sam.  14  *^)  ;  or 
it  may  mean  nothing  more  than  cast  thyself,  i.  e.,  thy  cares 
and  burdens.     For  the  closing  clause  of  this  verse  see  Ps.  10  ®. 


224 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


Then  comes  a  curious  passage  (23),  two  lines  of  prose,  Elohis- 
tic,  like  the  original  Psalm,  the  purport  of  which  it  sums  up, 
followed  by  a  Psalm  line  which  forms  the  caption  of  Ps.  11. 
Halve  their  days  (23),  i.  e.,  live  out  half  their  days. 

Darnly  is  said  to  have  read  this  Psalm  after  Mary  left  him, 
shortly  before  he  was  blown  up,  Feb.  10.  It  occurs  in  fact 
m  the  Anglican  Psalter  for  the  tenth  evsning. 


LVI 


To    the    chief    Musician    upon    Jonath 


eleni-rechokim,    Michtam    of    David,    when     the 
Philistines    took    him    in   Gath. 


r>  E  merciful  unto  me,  O  God: 
■L'  for  man  would  swallow  me 
up;  he  fighting  daily  oppresseth 
me. 

2  Mine  enemies  would  daily 
swallow  me  up:  for  they  be  many 
that  fight  against  me,  O  thou  Most 
High. 

3  What  time  I  am  afraid  I 
will    trust   in    thee. 

4  In  God  I  will  praise  his 
word,  in  God  I  have  put  my 
trust;  I  will  not  fear  what  flesh 
can   do   unto   me. 

5  Every  day  they  wrest  my 
words:  all  their  thoughts  are 
against   me   for  evil. 

6  They  gather  themselves  to- 
gether, they  hide  themselves,  they 
mark  my  steps,  when  they  wait 
for   my   soul. 

_  7  Shall  they  escape  by  iniquity? 
in  thine  anger  cast  down  the  peo- 
ple,  O   God. 

8  Thou  tellest  my  wanderings: 
put  thou  my  tears  into  thy  bot- 
tle:   are    they   not   in    thy   book? 

9  When  I  cry  unto  thee,  then 
shall  mme  enemies  turn  back:  this 
I   know;    for   God   is   for   me. 

10  In  God  will  I  praise  his 
word:  in  the  Lord  will  I  praise 
his  word. 


1.  Pity    me,    God.    for    man    hath 

trampled    me, 
All  the  day  battling  he  press- 
eth    me. 

2.  Mine    adversaries    have    tram- 

pled me  all  day, 
For   many   there   be   that   bat- 
tle   with    me. 

3.  God  on  high,  the  while  I  fear, 
I   put   my   trust   on   Thee. 

4.  In    God    I    utter    praise, 

In    God    have    I    trusted,    and 

fear    not. 
What  can   flesh   do   to   me? 

5.  All    the    day    my    words    they 

pervert, 
Against    me    all    their    charms 
for    ill. 
h.     They     lurk,     they     hide,     my 
steps    they    watch, 
As  who  expected  my  life. 

7.  For  their  idolatry  recompense 

them, 
In     wrath      cast      down      the 
heathen,     God. 

8.  Aly   wandering  Thou   hast   re- 

corded. 
Put    Thou    my    tears    in    Thy 

bottle ; 
Shall     they     not     be     in     Thy 

record  ? 

9.  My  foes  shall  be  turned  back- 

ward   the    while    I    call. 
This    I    know,    for    my    God 

art  Thou. 
10.     In   God  I   utter  praise, 

In   the   Lord   I   utter  praise. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


225 


11  In  God  have  I  put  my 
trust :  I  will  not  be  afraid  what 
man  can  do  unto  me. 

12  Thy  vows  arc  upon  me,  O 
God :  I  will  render  praises  unto  thee. 

13  For  thou  hast  delivered  my 
soul  from  death :  ivilt  not  thou 
deliver  my  feet  from  falling,  that 
I  may  w^alk  before  God  in  the 
light   of    the    living? 


11.  In    GoD    have    I    trusted    and 

fear  not. 
What   can    flesh   do    to   me? 

12.  On   me,   O   God,  Thy   vows, 
I   repay  thanks  to  Thee ; 

L3.     For    Thou    hast    rescued    me 

from    death. 
Thou     hast     saved     my     feet 

from   slipping, 
To  walk  before  God, 
In    the    light    of    the    living. 


A  Mikfam  for  Battle 

This  is  the  first  of  the  five  miktams  (see  Introduction)  of 
this  Psalter.  It  was  apparently  a  liturgy  to  be  sung  by  the 
priests  in  the  Temple  or  at  a  field  altar  during  the  progress 
of  a  battle,  and  supposes  that  the  priests  of  the  enemy  are 
making  adverse  supplication  toward  their  gods  at  the  same 
time.  The  language  is  archaic  and  at  places  obscure,  and 
the  translation  uncertain. 

It  commences  with  an  appeal  to  God  against  the  enemy  in 
battle  (1,  2),  against  whom  out  of  their  fear  they  appeal  to 
God  on  high,  singing  His  praise  songs ;  for  if  God  be  with 
them  what  can  the  arm  of  flesh  do  to  them  (3,  4)  ?  Over 
against  them  the  idol  priests  are  doing  the  same  thing  before 
their  images  (5,  6)  ;  but  this  is  a  mere  perversion.  The  word 
pervert  contains  in  it  the  word  for  idol,  as  though  it  were 
they  copy  my  zvords  before  idols,  and  by  idols  seek  to  put 
charms  on  me  to  work  me  harm;  the  regular  Hebrew  concep- 
tion of  the  religion  of  the  heathen.  The  remainder  of  the 
stanza  appears  to  carry  on  the  same  thought,  but  the  words 
used  are  so  obscure  that  I  have  thought  it  best  to  follow  the 
linguistically  not  altogether  justifiable  traditional  translation, 
which  makes  v.  6  refer  to  the  enemy  by  ambush  and  military 
guile  attempting  to  destroy  the  Israelites.  Then  we  come  to 
the  appeal  for  the  destruction  of  the  hostile  idol  worshippers 
(7,  8),  with  a  reference  to  God's  relation  to  Israel  in  the 
past,  which  is  obscure  in  its  details.  For  wandering  and  bottle 
of  the  Hebrew  the  Greek  has  life  and  before  Thee.  Which 
is  original,  if  either,  I  do  not  know,  but  I  think  the  sense  is 
discernible,  viz.,  Israel's  experience  in  the  past  and  God's  dealing 
with  him  is  recorded  in  the  book  of  life;  shall  there  not  be 
added  to  that  record  his  tears  and  his  woe,  to  influence  God 
to  pity  now?     Here  follows  (9-11)   the  confident  assertion  of 


226 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


or  prayer  for  the  defeat  of  the  enemy,  with  the  same  praise 
song  as  in  v.  4.  This  praise  song  occurs  in  the  same  place 
and  for  the  same  purpose  as  the  selah,  and  is  in  fact  the  same 
thing,  an  outburst  of  praise,  accompanied  by  shouting  and  the 
noise  and  clamor  of  instruments.  After  a  habit  very  common 
in  Hebrew  psalmody,  the  two  refrains,  if  they  may  be  so  called, 
while  similar  are  not  identical.  The  special  point  of  these 
refrains  is  the  utterance  of  the  divine  name,  by  which  the 
heathen  gods  shall  be  overcome.  In  the  first  we  have  Elohim 
only ;  in  the  second  both  Elohim  and  Yahaweh.  The  Psalm  con- 
cludes with  the  sacrificial  motive  (12,  13),  the  sacrifices  here 
being  thank  offerings  vowed  in  case  of  victory,  and  presumes  a 
favorable  answer.  Light  of  the  living  in  contrast  with  the  dark- 
ness of  the  pit  or  sheol. 

LVII 

To    the    chief    Musician,    Al-taschith,    Michttm    of    David,    when    he    fled    from    Saul 

in  the  cave. 


BE  merciful  unto  me,  O  God, 
be  merciful  unto  me :  for  my 
soul  trusteth  in  thee :  yea,  in  the 
shadow  of  thy  wings  will  I  make 
my  refuge,  until  these  calamities 
be   overpast. 

2  I  will  cry  unto  God  most 
high;  unto  God  that  performeth 
all  things  for  me. 

3  He  shall  send  from  heaven, 
and  save  me  from  the  reproach 
of  him  that  would  swallow  me 
up.  Selah.  God  shall  send  forth 
his  mercy  and  his  truth. 

4  My  soul  is  among  lions :  and 
1  lie  even  among  them  that  are 
set  on  fire,  even  the  sons  of  men, 
whose  teeth  are  spears  and  ar- 
rows, and  their  tongue  a  sharp 
sword. 

5  Be  thou  exalted,  O  God, 
above  the  heavens ;  let  thy  glory 
be   above   all   the   earth. 

6  They  have  prepared  a  net 
for  my  steps ;  my  soul  is  bowed 
down :  they  have  digged  a  pit 
before  me,  into  the  midst  whereof 
they  are  fallen  themselves.     Selah. 

7  My  heart  is  fixed,  O  God,  my 
heart  is  fixed :  I  will  sing  and 
give    praise. 


1.  Pity   me,    God,   pity   me. 

For  in  Thee  have  I  sought 
shelter. 

And  in  the  shadow  of  Thy 
wings    I    am    sheltered. 

Until  the  destruction  be  over- 
past. 

2.  I  call  to  God,   Most  High, 
To    God    my    benefactor. 

3.  He  sendeth  from  heaven  and 

saveth  me. 
He  hath  shamed  my  trampler. 

Selah. 
(God   sendeth   His   mercy   and 

His  truth.) 

4.  I  lie  in  the  midst  of  lions; 
Their  teeth,  spear  and  arrows. 
Their   tongue,   a  sharp   sword. 

5.  Exalt  thyself  on  the  heavens, 

O   God; 
Over  all  the  earth  Thy  glory. 

6.  A    net   they   have    spread    for 

my  steps ; 
I   am  bowed   down. 
They  digged  a  pit  before  me — 
They    fell    into    the    midst    of 

it.  Selah. 

7.  My    heart    is    fixed,    O    God, 

my   heart   is    fixed. 
Let  me  sing  and  make  psalm- 
ody. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


227 


8  Awake  up,  my  glory;  awake, 
psaltery  and  harp :  I  myself  will 
awake   early. 

9  I  will  praise  thee,  O  Lord, 
among  the  people :  I  will  sing 
unto  thee  among  the  nations. 

10  For  thy  mercy  is  great  unto 
the  heavens,  and  thy  truth  unto  the 
clouds. 

11  Be  thou  exalted,  O  God, 
above  the  heavens :  let  thy  glory 
be  above  all  the  earth. 


10. 


Awake,   my  glory,  awake  lute 

and    harp ; 
Let    me    awake    the    dawn. 

I  thank  Thee  among  the  peo- 
ples, Lord, 

I  sing  psalms  to  Thee  among 
the    nations ; 

For  great  unto  the  heavens 
Thy    love, 

And  unto  the  clouds  Thy 
truth. 


11.     Exalt  thyself  on  the  heavens, 
O    God  ; 
Over  all  the  earth  Thy  glory. 


Mikiam  and  Vintage  Song 

This  is  a  composite  Psalm.  According  to  the  heading  it 
was  not  only  assigned  for  use  as  a  miktani,  a  special  form  of 
penitential  (see  Introduction),  but,  with  the  two  following 
miktams,  this  was  also  appropriated  as  a  Psalm  of  the  wine 
treading,  al  tashhcth,  destroy  not  (cf.  Is.  65  ^,  and  see  Intro- 
duction). Apparently  the  double  use  has  caused  some  con- 
fusion of  motives  in  the  Psalm.  To  the  original  early  Psalm 
(vv.  1-6)  vv^as  added  later  a  Psalm  of  a  very  different  type 
(vv.  7-11),  of  post-exilian  date,  v/hich  appears  also  as  vv.  1-5 
of  Psalm  108.  The  last  verse  of  this  Psalm  was  further 
inserted  in  the  original  Psalm  (v.  5)  to  divide  the  whole  into 
two  unequal  portions  with  a  common  refrain. 

The  Psalm  commences  with  the  same  cry  for  pity  as  56, 
but  more  fully  developed.  Shadoiv  of  Thy  wings  (1),  see 
17  ^.  What  the  nature  of  the  calamity  is  for  relief  from  which 
supplication  is  made  is  not  clear.  The  Psalm  appears  to  be  what 
we  may  call  a  general  penitential.  In  v.  2  we  have  an  accumula- 
tion of  titles  of  God,  the  regular  Elohint,  combined  with  the 
ancient  and  primitive  Elyon  (Most  High)  and  El;  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  honorific  names,  most  fully  worked  out  in  Ps.  18. 
The  last  line  of  the  second  stanza  (3^)  is  of  uncertain  mean- 
ing. The  word  rendered  trampler  is  the  same  used  of  the 
invader  in  Ps.  56.  The  selah  at  the  close  of  this  line  has  the 
usual  liturgical  value.  3<=  appears  to  be  a  variant  of,  or  a  gloss 
on  3^,  and  in  the  greek  translation  the  selah  follows  this  gloss. 
Then  follows  the  picture  of  the  suppliant's  distress  under  the 
familiar  figure  of  danger  from  lions  (4^)  ;  but  these  lions  are  at 
once  translated  into  men  whose  teeth  are  spears  and  arrows  and 


228  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

their  tongue  a  sharp  sword  (4 ''<=).  This  led  to  the  insertion  of 
an  explanatory  gloss  by  a  scribe,  (cf.  Bible  version)  which  has 
come  to  us  in  a  somewhat  mutilated,  and  quite  untranslatable 
form,  to  the  effect  that  by  lions  is  meant  sons  of  man,  the  old 
phrase  used  for  the  heathen  adversary.  At  this  point  the  connec- 
tion is  broken  by  a  chorus  from  the  late  sacrificial  praise  song  (5). 
The  next  stanza  (6)  is  a  continuation  of  the  picture  of  the 
suppliant's  distress  under  the  familiar  net  and  pit  figures. 
Caught  and  trapped  in  the  net  he  is  bowed  dozvn;  but  with 
the  pit  figure,  which  is  in  general  the  same  as  Ps.  7  ",  comes 
the  triumph,  viz.,  that  they  not  he  fall  into  it,  immediately 
followed  by  the  selah;  the  outburst  of  triumphant  noise  and 
music.  I  fancy  that  it  was  this  pit  verse,  as  here  developed, 
which  caused  the  Psalm  to  be  appropriated  for  the  wine 
treading.  By  a  crude  imagination,  such  as  I  have  often  wit- 
nessed in  the  songs  and  dances  of  the  villagers  in  Palestine 
and  the  Arabs  of  Mesopotamia,  the  grapes  thrown  into  the 
rock-hewn  pit  to  be  trodden  under  foot  are  visualized  as  the 
disappointed  foe,  fallen  into  his  own  pit,  whom  the  valiant 
wine  treaders,  arms  locked  together,  dance  upon  and  triumph 
over. 

To  this  Psalm  was  added  later  a  Psalm  furnishing  sacrifi- 
cial motive  and  praise  song,  which  might  itself  perhaps  be 
called  a  selah  (7-11).  The  first  stanza  (7,  8)  is  the  usual 
confident  cry  of  the  accepted  sacrificer.  My  heart  is  fixed 
(7),  i.  e.,  I  am  in  safety,  my  petition  has  been  granted. 
The  two  following  lines,  with  their  mention  of  musical  instru- 
ments and  the  like,  use  a  motive  which  we  find  first  in  the 
new  song  Psalms  (33,  90-99),  developed  to  its  extreme  in  the 
final  tehillah  collection  of  the  Psalter  (145-150).  Awake  the 
dawn  suggests  use  at  the  morning  sacrifice,  or  as  a  preliminary 
to  the  same.  The  last  stanza  (9,  10)  is  the  praise  song, 
combining  with  the  post-exilian  proselytizing  motive,  tell  it  to 
the  nations  (9),  the  earlier  picture  of  God  in  the  heavens  (10), 
as  in  36  ^  Our  Psalm  has  Lord  (9),  where  the  variant  in 
108  has  Lord,  supporting  tlie  view  expressed  with  regard  to 
the  other  similar  uses  of  Lord  in  this  collection,  that  it  is  a 
late  scribal  change.  Verse  11  constitutes  a  doxology  to  the 
whole. 

The  Psalm  is  interesting  as  illustrating  the  growth  and 
varied  use  of   these  ancient  liturgies. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


229 


LVIII 

To  the  chief  Musician,  Al-taschith,  Michtam  of  David. 


DO  ye  indeed  speak  righteous- 
ness, O  congregation?  do  ye 
judge  uprightly,  O  ye  sons  of 
men? 

2  Yea,  in  heart  ye  work  wick- 
edness ;  ye  weigh  the  violence  of 
3'our  hands   in   the   earth. 

■3  The  wicked  are  estranged 
from  the  womb :  they  go  astray 
as  soon  as  they  be  born,  speaking 
lies. 

4  Their  poison  is  like  the  poison 
of  a  serpent :  they  are  like  the 
deaf   adder   that  stoppeth   her  ear ; 

5  Which  will  not  hearken  to  the 
voice  of  charmers,  charming  never 
so   wisely. 

6  Break  their  teeth,  O  God,  in 
their  mouth :  break  out  the  great 
teeth  of  the  young  lions,  O   Lord. 

7  Let  them  melt  away  as  waters 
which  run  continually :  ivhen  he 
bendeth  his  boiv  to  shoot  his  ar- 
rows, let  them  be  as  cut  in  pieces. 

8  As  a  snail  which  melteth,  let 
every  one  of  them  pass  away : 
like  the  untimely  birth  of  a  wo- 
man, that  they  may  not  see  the 
sun. 

9  Before  your  pots  can  feel 
the  thorns,  he  shall  take  them 
away  as  with  a  whirlwind,  both 
living,  and  in  his  wrath. 

10  The  righteous  shall  rejoice 
when  he  seeth  the  vengeance :  he 
shall  wash  his  feet  in  the  blood 
of   the   wicked. 

11  So  that  a  man  shall  say. 
Verily  there  is  a  reward  for  the 
righteous :  verily  he  is  a  God  that 
iudgeth  in  the  earth. 


1.  Do  ye,  then,  verily  speak  the 

right? 
Do    ye   judge    uprightly,    sons 
of  men? 

2.  Nay,    but    ye    plan    to    work 

wrong  in  the  land. 
Violence     your     hands     mete 
out. 

3.  Aliens  the   godless  have  been 

from  the  womb. 
They    went    astray    from    the 
belly,   speakers  of  the  lie. 

4.  Their    venom    is    like    to    tb' 

serpent's    venom ; 
Like  a   deaf   adder  that   stop- 
peth   his    ear, 

5.  That    hearkeneth    not    to    the 

charmer's    voice, 
Make  he  magic  most  marvel- 
ously. 

6.  God,  break  their  teeth  in  their 

mouth. 
Snap  off  the  jaw  teeth  of  the 
lions.   Lord. 

7.  Be  they  vile  as   refuse  water 

that  dribbleth; 
Let    him    tread    his    bow    as 
they  that  scrape  the  ground. 

8.  Like  wax   that   melteth  be  he 

dissolved. 
Be  like  still  birth  of   woman, 
behold   not    the    sun. 

9.  Before  their  thorns  have  seen 

the  pot, 
Green   and   dry   alike   let   Him 
whirl    them    away. 

10.  The    righteous    rejoiceth,    for 

he  hath   seen  vengeance ; 
His    steps   he   v/asheth    in    the 
blood  of  the  godless. 

11.  And  men  say,  Yea,  the  right- 

eous   is    rewarded, 
Yea,  it  is  God  who  doth  jus- 
tice  in   the   land. 


Vintage  and  Vengeance 

The  theme  of  this  miktam  is  the  familiar  one  of  the  contrast 
between  God  and  His  ^worshippers  and  the  godless  heathen. 
The  language  is  even  more  difficult  and  doubtful  than  in  the 


230  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Other  Psalms  of  this  series,  and  for  the  same  reason.  Even 
more  than  they  it  shows  kinship  with  the  strange  language 
of  the  book  of  Job, 

The  first  stanza  (1,  2)  questions  the  godless  heathen  (sons 
of  man)  to  see  if  there  be  any  virtue  in  them  (cf.  Ps.  14), 
and  finds  only  wrong  doing  in  their  dealings  with  His  land. 
The  second  stanza  (3-5)  describes  them  as  aliens  from  God  by 
birth  and  origin,  speakers  of  the  lie,  i.  e.,  worshippers  of  idols  (of. 
Am.  2*),  and  likens  them  to  poisonous  reptiles.  Adder,  perhaps 
cobra.  Here  we  have  an  oriental  picture  that  might  come  from 
modern  India,  as  ancient  as  it  is  modern ;  snakes  fascinated  by 
music,  so  that  the  snake  that  cannot  be  influenced  by  it  is  a  syn- 
onym for  peculiar  viciousness ;  snake  charmers  who  handle  snakes 
without  danger  by  their  potent  spells.  Then  follows  the  curse 
upon  these  foreign  heathen  foes  in  a  strange  medley  of  unre- 
lated figures  (6-9).  First,  the  familiar  lion  figure,  in  this 
form  used  most  nearly  in  Job  4^°  (cf.  also  29").  May  he  be 
as  worthless  as  dirty  water  poured  out  on  the  ground;  as 
powerless  as  the  man  whose  feet  are  too  weak  to  bend  his 
bow,  so  that  he  only  scrapes  the  ground  in  his  efforts;  as 
helpless  as  melted  wax;  like  a  still  birth  (Job  3^®);  or  like 
the  thorns,  the  common  fuel  of  the  country,  which  one  sees 
carried  on  donkeys,  invisible  for  their  loads,  and  gathered  in 
mountainous  heaps,  to  be  swept  away  by  God's  whirlwind  before 
they  can  be  used.  The  final  stanza  (10,  11)  is  the  confident 
assurance  of  favorable  answer  to  suppliant  Israel's  appeal, 
with  emphasis  on  the  name  of  Elohim  as  He  by  whose  ven- 
geance the  heathen  idols  and  their  worshippers  are  overthrown ; 
but  there  is  no  sacrificial  note.  Rewarded,  literally  there  is, 
fruit  for  righteousness. 

Apparently  it  was  especially  v.  10  which  caused  this  Psalm 
to  be  used  as  a  vintage  hymn;  the  wine  treaders  imagining  the 
grapes  as  the  foes  in  whose  blood  they  washed  their  feet. 

LIX 

To    the   chief   Musician,    Al-taschith,    Michtam    of    David:    when    Saul    sent,    and    they 

watched    the   house   to   kill   him. 

1.  Deliver    me     from    my     foes, 
my   God, 

From    them    that    are    arrayed 
against  me  be  my   fortress ; 

2.  Deliver    me    from    makers    of 
idols, 

And  from  men  of  blood  save 
me. 


DELIVER  me  from  mine  ene- 
mies, O  my  God :  defend  me 
from  them  that  rise  up  against 
me. 

2  Deliver  me  from  the  workers 
of  iniquity,  and  save  me  from 
bloody   men. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


231 


3  For,  lo,  they  lie  in  wait  for 
my  soul:  the  mighty  are  gathered 
against  me;  not  for  my  transgres- 
sion, nor  for  my  sin,  O  Lord. 

4  They  run  and  prepare  them- 
selves without  7ny  fault:  awake 
to   help   me,   and   behold. 

5  Thou  therefore,  O  Lord  God 
of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  awake 
to  visit  all  the  heathen:  be  not 
merciful  to  any  wicked  trans- 
gressors.    Selah. 

6  They  return  at  evening:  they 
make  a  noise  like  a  dog,  and  go 
round   about   the   city. 

7  Behold,  they  belch  out  with 
their  mouth:  swords  are  in  their 
lips:  for  who,  say  they,  doth  hear? 

8  But  thou,  O  Lord,  shalt  laugh 
at  them;  thou  shalt  have  all  the 
heathen    in    derision. 

9  Because  of  his  strength  will 
I  wait  upon  thee:  for  God  is  my 
defence. 

10  The  God  of  my  mercy  shall 
prevent  me:  God  shall  let  me  see 
my  desire  upon  mine  enemies. 

11  Slay  them  not,  lest  my  peo- 
ple forget:  scatter  them  by  thy 
power;  and  bring  them  down,  O 
Lord   our   shield. 

12  For  the  sin  of  their  mouth 
and  the  words  of  their  lips  let 
them  even  be  taken  in  their  pride: 
and  for  cursing  and  lying  which 
they  speak. 

13  Consume  them  in  wrath,  con- 
sume them,  that  they  may  not  be: 
and  let  them  know  that  God  ruleth 
in  Jacob  unto  the  ends  of  the 
earth.     Selah. 

14  And  at  evening  let  them  re- 
turn; and  let  them  make  a  noise 
like  a  dog,  and  go  round  about 
the  city. 


3.  For     behold     they     have     laid 

wait  for  me. 
Mighty    forces   gather   against 

me ; 
Without  fault  or  sin  of  mine, 

Lord, 

4.  For    no    guilt    of    mine    they 

run   and  take  stand. 

Awake   at  my  call   and   see, 

5.  And     Thou,     Lord,     God     of 

hosts,   God  of   Israel, 
Attend  to  visit  all  the  heathen, 
Show  no  pity  to  all  traitorous 

idolaters.  Selah. 

6.  Each   evening  they   return, 
They    growl    like   dogs. 
And    encircle    the    town; 

7.  Lo,      they      yap      with      their 

mouths, 
Swords  in  their  lips. 
For   who  heareth? 

8.  And   Thou,   Lord,   laughest   at 

them, 
Thou     mockest     at     all     the 
heathen. 

9.  My   might,   unto   Thee   let   me 

make    psalmody. 
For    God    is    my    fortress. 
IC.     The     God     of     my     love    pre- 

venteth    me ; 
God    Icttcth    me    look    on    my 

foes. 

11.  Slay    them    not,    lest    my    peo- 

ple   forget. 
Scatter    them    by    Thy    power, 

bring   them   doyvn, 
My   shield   and   my  Lord. 

12.  For    the    sin    of    their    mouth, 

the   words   of   their   lips. 
Be  they  taken  in   their  pride; 
And     for    their    cursing,     for 

their  lying,  be  they  recorded. 

13.  Consume    in    wrath,    consume 

till  they  be  no  m.ore. 
And  know  that  God  ruleth  in 

Jacob, 
Unto    the    ends    of    the    land. 

Selah. 

14.  And    each    evening    they    re- 

turn, 
They  growl   like  dogs. 
And  encircle  the  town. 


232 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


15  Let  them  wander  up  and 
down  for  meat,  and  grudge  if 
they   be  not   satisfied. 


16  But  I  will  sing  of  thy  power; 
yea,  I  will  sing  aloud  of  thy 
mercy  in  the  morning :  for  thou 
hast  been  my  defence  and  refuge 
in  the  day  of  my  trouble. 


17  Unto  thee,  O  my  strength, 
will  I  sing:  for  God  is  my  de- 
fence, and  the  God  of  my  mercy. 


15.  They  prowl  for  food, 

If  they  find  it  not  they  bide. 

16.  And   I— I   sing  Thy   might, 
And  shout  each  morning  Thy 

love; 

For  Thou  hast  been  a  fort- 
ress unto  me, 

A  refuge  in  the  day  of  my 
strait. 

17.  My  might,  unto   Thee   let   me 

make   psalmody ; 
For  God  is  my  fortress, 
The  God  of  my  love. 


Vintage  Song  and  Miktam  Against  Invaders 

Like  the  preceding  miktams  and  maskils  of  this  Psalter 
this  Psalm  abounds  in  antique  words  and  dialectic  peculiarities 
which  make  the  interpretation  difficult.  Why  it  should  have 
been  used  as  a  vintage  song  is  not  as  clear  as  in  the  two 
preceding  Psalms  (but  see  v.  2).  It  was  originally  a  liturgy 
to  be  used  in  case  of  invasion  and  siege  by  heathen  enemies, 
and  its  special  appeal  is  to  the  jealousy  of  God,  the  God  of 
the  land  of  Israel,  against  those  who  come  into  His  land 
with  the  names  of  other  gods  on  their  lips.  With  its  repeti- 
tious allusions  to  God  as  a  fortress,  it  comes  closer  than 
the  other  similar  Israelite  liturgies  to  the  trust  in  the  stronghold 
of  the  Temple,  so  characteristic  of  the  Judean  siege  Psalms, 
but  is  still  very  far  removed  from  that  peculiar  confidence 
in  the  inviolability  of  God's  house  which  marks  the  Judean 
liturgies.  Here  the  trust  is  rather  in  the  name  of  God,  which 
is  repeated  again  and  again. 

It  commences  with  the  appeal  (1,  2)  against  the  invading 
foe,  who  are  makers  of  idols,  or  doers  of  idolatry,  a  Hosean 
phrase.  Then  follows  the  description  of  the  mighty  array 
which  unprovoked  (cf.  Ps.  7  ^,  1  Sam.  24")  have  rapidly 
invaded  the  land  and  planted  themselves  before  the  town 
(3,  4^);  and  after  this  the  appeal  to  God,  with  honorific  titles, 
to  heed  His  people's  cry,  and  look  down  from  heaven  to  make 
visitation  on  these  lie- worshipping  idolaters  (4^,  5).  Here 
comes  the  first  selah,  followed  by  a  curious  little  mock-song 
(6,    7)    which,    with    the    usual    tendency    to    variation    in    its 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  233 

second  occurrence,  is  used  as  one  of  the  two  refrains  or 
choruses  of  the  Psalm.  It  pictures  the  besieging  enemy  as 
the  despised  scavenger  dogs  of  the  country  (cf.  22^"),  which 
gather  about  towns  by  night,  yapping  and  growling;  the  figure 
being  suddenly  transferred  to  reality  at  the  close  of  (7),  as 
in  the  lion  figure  in  57*,  with  a  reference  here  to  the  unbelief 
of  these  sword  mouthed  heathen  in  the  power  or  will  of  God 
(Elohim),  in  whom  Israel  trusts.  This  introduces  a  counter 
verse  (8),  Yahawistic,  and  possibly  a  Judean  addition,  in 
which  Yahaweh  on  His  part  is  represented  as  laughing  and 
mocking  those  who  do  not  believe  in  His  power  (cf.  2*). 
Following  the  selah  and  these  various  concomitants  we  then 
have  the  confident  call  of  the  favored  suppliant  (9,  10),  with 
repetitions  of  the  holy  and  powerful  name  of  God,  which  is 
treated  as  a  chorus  and  repeated  in  variant  form  at  the  close 
of  the  Psalm  (17).  God  of  my  love,  i.  e.,  who  shows  me 
loving  kindness.  Preventeth,  i.  e.,  goes  before  in  battle,  and 
so  gives  victory.  Lets  me  look  on  my  foes,  cf .  54 ''.  After 
this,  at  considerable  length,  comes  the  usual  curse,  or  prayer 
for  punishment  of  the  foe  (11-13).  Verse  11  {s  dubious, 
Reading  it  as  it  stands  there  may  possibly  be  a  reference  to 
the  story  of  Cain  (which,  however,  is  in  the  Yahawistic  nar- 
rative) ;  but  in  any  case  the  punishment  worse  than  slaughter 
does  not  seem  to  be  consistently  worked  out.  The  sin  of  their 
month,  their  pride,  their  cursing  and  lying,  are  i  part  of  their 
worship  of  false  gods,  and  consequently  especially  obnoxious 
to  the  true  God  of  the  land  of  Israel.  Recorded  (12)  may  be 
a  reference  to  the  book  of  life,  in  which  God  is  asked  to 
record  their  misdeeds ;  but  the  passage  is  uncertain.  After 
this  is  the  second  selah,  followed,  like  the  first,  by  the  dog  song 
(14,  15),  somewhat  varied,  having  in  place  of  the  application 
to  the  enemy  (cf.  7*^,^)  a  further  continuation  of  the  dog 
motive  itself,  representing  the  dogs  as  prowling  about  in  their 
search  for  food  all  night  if  need  be.  Verse  16  is  the  usual 
contrast  of  Israel  triumphant,  commencing  with  the  emphatic 
/,  to  the  enemy  vanquished  (11-13).  The  reference  to  the 
daily  morning  sacrifice  may  indicate  that  this  miktam  was  to 
be  used  daily  at  the  morning  sacrifice  in  case  of  such  conditions 
of  hostile  siege.  Verse  17  is  the  closing  praise  cry,  of  the 
nature  of  a  chorus,  repeated  in  part  from  vv.  9,  10. 


234 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


LX 

To   the  chief   Musician   upon    Shushan-eduth.    M 

strove  with  Aram-naharaim  and  with   Aram 

smote   of   Edom   in   the   valley   of 


OGOD,  thou  hast  cast  us  off, 
thou  hast  scattered  us,  thou 
hast  been  displeased;  O  turn  thy- 
self   to    us    again. 

2  Thou  hast  made  the  earth  to 
tremble;  thou  hast  broken  it: 
heal  the  breaches  thereof ;  for  it 
shaketh, 

3  Thou  hast  shewed  thy  people 
hard  things:  thou  hast  made  us 
to  drink  the  wine  of  astonishment 

4  Thou  hast  given  a  banner 
to  them  that  fear  thee,  that  it 
may  be  displayed  because  of  the 
truth.     Selah. 

5  That  thy  beloved  may  be  de- 
livered;  save  zinth  thy  right  hand, 
and   hear  me. 

6  God  hath  spoken  in  his  holi- 
ness; I  will  rejoice,  I  will  di- 
vide Shechem,  and  mete  out  the 
valley    of    Succoth. 

7  Gilead  is  mine,  and  Manasseh 
is  mine;  Epliraim  also  is  the 
strencth  of  mine  head:  Judali  is 
my   lawgiver ; 

8  Moab  is  my  washpot ;  over 
Edom  will  I  cast  out  my  shoe : 
Philistia,  triumph  thou  because  of 
me. 

9  Who  will  bring  me  into  the 
strong  city?  who  will  lead  me  into 
Edom? 

10  Wilt  not  thou,  O  God,  which 
hadst  cast  us  off?  and  thou,  O 
God,  which  didst  not  go  out  with 
our   armies? 

11  Give  us  help  from  trouble: 
for  vain  is  the  help   of   man. 

12  Through  God  we  shall  do 
valiantly:  for  he  it  is  that  shall 
tread  down  our  enemies. 


ichtam    of    David,    to    teach;    when    he 
zobah,  when  Joab  returned,  and 
salt  twelve  thousand. 

1.  God,  Thou  hast  cast  off,  shat- 

tered  us. 
Thou   wast  wroth,   turn  Thee 
to   us. 

2.  Thou     didst    make    the     land 

stagger  and  crack. 
Heal    its    breaches,    for    it    is 
shaken. 

3.  Thou   madest   Thy   people    see 

a  hard  thing. 
Thou     madest    us     drink    the 
wine    of    reeling. 

4.  Thou    hast    given    them    that 

fear  Thee   a   refuge. 
To     take     refuge     from     the 
bowmen.-  Selah. 

5.  That  Thy  beloved  may  be  de- 

livered, 
Let  Thy  right  hand  give  vic- 
tory and  answer  us. 

6.  God  spake  in  His  holiness : 
Exulting    I    divide    Schechem, 
And    mete    out   the    valley   of 

Succoth ; 

7.  Mine  is  Gilead  and  mine  Ma- 

nasseh, 
And   Ephraim   the  defence  of 

my   head ; 
Judah  my  sceptre, 

8.  Moab   my  washpot. 

On   Edom   I  cast  my  shoe, 
Over  Philistia'my  triumph  cry. 

9.  Who    will    bring    me    into    the 

fenced  town? 
Who   will   lead  me  to   Edom? 

10.  Hast  not   Thou,   God,   cast   as 

off? 
And     goest     not     forth     with 
our   armies,   God? 

11.  Give  us  help  from  our  strait. 
For   vain   is   human   salvation. 

12.  By  God  .  shall  we  win  victory, 
And  He  will  tread  down  our 

foes. 


A  Miktam  in  Defeat 

This    miktam    was    not    to    be    used    in    case    of    invasion    of 
Israel   by   an   enemy,  but   in  case   of   defeat  of   the   Israelites 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  23S 

in  their  invasion  of  a  hostile  country.  Its  original  use  was 
on  occasion  of  a  defeat  in  Edom,  from  which  they  have  found 
refuge  in  the  place  where  this  liturgy  is  used  and  its  sacrifice 
offered.  Presumably  it  was  later  used  more  generally  for 
times  of  similar  need,  and  hence  incorporated  in  the  Psalter 
as  a  regular  niiktam  liturgy.  In  the  post-exilian  period  vv. 
5-12  were  combined  with  vv.  7-11  of  Ps.  57  to  form  a 
new  liturgy,  to  be  used,  not  in  battle,  but  in  case  of  the  calam- 
ities and  distresses  which  in  those  later  days  of  small  things 
were  still  often  pictured  in  the  stirring  and  heroic  words  and 
figures  of  the  old  battle  songs.  What  was  the  special  occasion 
here  referred  to  we  do  not  know.  After  Solomon's  time,  Edom 
lay  in  the  Judean  sphere  of  influence,  as  Moab  in  the  Israelite. 
Each  nation  might,  however,  co-operate  with  the  other  against 
a  rebellious  subject  (cf.  2  K.  3),  for  in  general  Israel  and 
Judah  stood  in  a  relation  of  alliance,  with  the  former  as  the 
leader,  or  even  suzerain  power.  Unlike  the  other  miktams 
of  this  series  the  language  is  clear  and  direct,  but  the  liturgical 
composition  is   unusual. 

Verses  1-4  are  an  unprefaced,  abrupt  and  forceful  appeal 
out  of  calamity,  so  organized  that  protest  and  appeal  alternate, 
first  in  half  then  in  whole  verses.  God's  anger  is  pictured  first 
in  terms  of  storm  and  earthquake  affecting  the  land  (1,  2). 
Then  the  people  are  figured  as  having  undergone  bitter  experi- 
ence, and  been  given  to  drink  from  God's  cup  a  drink  which 
has  made  them  drunk,  a  figure  familiar  in  the  prophets  (3). 
The  refuge  which  they  have  found  from  the  hostile  bowmen 
is  God's  doing  (4).  This  may  be  the  home  shrine,  or  some 
place  of  defence.  It  becomes  the  point  of  rally,  and  here,  ap- 
parently, sacrifice  was  offered  and  this  liturgy  was  sung,  in 
preparation  for  renewed  attack  to  repair  former  disaster. 
Here  comes  the  selah,  and  the  call  on  God  for  action  (5), 
reinforced,  as  it  were,  by  a  passage  telling  of  God's  great 
deeds  in  the  past,  to  induce  Him  to  act  in  the  present  (6-8), 
the  same  principle  which  displays  itself  in  another  form  in  the 
use  of  honorific  names.  This  passage  describes  the  Hebrew 
land  as  made  by  the  conquest  of  Joshua,  plus  the  victories  of 
David,  from  the  Israelite  standpoint  and  after  the  division  of 
the  nation.  Joseph,  i.  e.,  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  west  and 
east  of  Jordan  (Shechem  and  Succoth),  are  the  centre  {head). 
The  emphasis  on  Shechem  suggests  that  place  as  the  temple 
locality   of   this   liturgy.     Judah   is   mentioned   as    an   equal  or 


236 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


almost  equal  power  with  Joseph  (cf.  the  two  Blessings,  Gen. 
49,  Deut.  33).  Moab,  and  Edom  and  Philistia  are  subject  na- 
tions (2  Sam.  8).  Then  in  two  stanzas  the  final  appeal  for 
victory  over  Edom  (9,  10),  and  the  praise  cry,  the  latter  with 
much  less  than  the  usual  confident  assurance. 

For  the  designation  to  teach  in  the  heading  cf.  the  song  of 
The  Bozv,  2  Sam.  1  " ",  which  David  "bade  them  teach  the 
children  of  Israel."  One  is  reminded  of  the  teaching  tablets 
found  in  such  numbers  in  the  archives  of  Babylonian  temples, 
where  the  students  copied  old  poems  and  liturgies  as  part  of 
their  education. 

LXI 

To  the  chief  Musician  upon  Neginah,  A  Psalm  of  David. 

HEAR  my  cry,   O   God ;    attend 
unto    my    prayer. 


2  From  the  end  of  the  earth 
will  I  cry  unto  thee,  when  m.y 
heart  is  overwhelmed :  lead  me  to 
the    rock   that   is   higher   than    I. 

3.  For  Thou  hast  been  a  refuge 
for  me,  and  a  strong  tower  from 
the   enemy. 

4  I  will  abide  in  thy  tabernacle 
for  ever:  I  will  trust  in  the  covert 
of  thy  wings.     Selah. 

5  For  thou,  O  God.  hast  heard 
my  vows :  thou  hast  given  me  the 
heritage  of  those  that  fear  thy 
name. 

6  Thou  wilt  prolong  the  king's 
life:  and  his  years  as  many  gen- 
erations. 

7  He  shall  abide  before  God 
for  ever :  O  prepare  mercy  and 
truth,    which   may   preserve   him. 

8  So  will  I  sing  praise  unto  thy 
name  for  ever,  that  I  may  daily 
perform   my  vows. 


1.  Hear,  oh  God,  my  cry, 
Accept    my    prayer. 

2.  From    the    ends    of    the    land 

I    call    to    Thee,    when    my 
heart    f  ainteth ; 
To    a     Rock    that    is    higher 
than  I  Thou  leadest  me. 

3.  For   thou   hast   been   a   refuge 

to   me, 
A   tower   of    strength    against 
the    foe. 

4.  Let    me    dwell    in    Thy    house 

for  ever, 
Find    refuge    in    the    cover   of 
Thy    wings. 

Selah. 

5.  For  Thou,  O  God,  hast  heard 

my  vows, 
Hast    granted    the    request    of 
them  that  fear  Thy  name. 

6.  Add   days   to  the   days  of   the 

king, 
Make    his    years    as    it    were 
generations. 

7.  May     he     dwell     before     God 

for  ever; 
May    love    and    truth    be    his 
guard  I 

8.  So  will  I  praise  Thy  name  al- 

way, 
While    I     daily    perform     my 
vows. 


The  King's  Prayer 

This  is    a   prayer    of    the    king    of    Israel,    out    of    no    very 
evident  distress ;  what  we  may  call  a  general  penitential.     From 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


237 


the  last  verse  it  would  appear  to  have  accompanied  certain  daily 
freewill  Temple  offerings.  The  language  is  simple,  like  that 
of  the  early  Psalms  of  the  Jerusalem  Psalter  (14,  15,  17,  21, 
27),  showing  not  dependence,  but  a  common  liturgical  inheritance 
from  an  older  day. 

It  commences  with  the  prayer,  which  God  will  hear  from 
the  end  of  the  land,  and  lead  the  suppliant  to  the  Rock  (so 
familiar  in  the  Jvidean  Psalms)  too  high  for  him  to  attain 
alone  (1,  2).  Then  the  words  of  confident  assurance  (3,  4) 
in  God's  strength,  and  the  safety  to  be  found  in  His  house, 
beneath  His  wings.  Presumably  there  were  here,  as  in  Jeru- 
salem, winged  cherubic  figures  by  which  God's  presence  was 
symbolized.  This  is  followed  by  the  selah,  and  that  by  the 
reference  to  the  acceptance  of  the  sacrifice  (vows),  and  the 
consequent  granting  of  the  prayer  (5).  Then  follows  the 
petition  for  long  life  to  the  king  (6,  7),  and  the  concluding 
doxology  (8). 

Verse  7  seems  to  be  cited  in  Prov.  20  ^^. 


LXII 

To  the  chief  Musician,  to  Jeduthun,  A  Psalm  of  David 

1 


TRULY    my    soul    waiteth    upon 
God :    from    him    cometh    my 
salvation. 

2  He  only  is  my  rock  and  my 
salvation;  he  is  my  defence;  I 
shall    not    be    greatly    moved. 

3  How  long  will  ye  imagine 
mischief  against  a  man?  ye  shall 
be  slain  all  of  you:  as  a  bowing 
wall  shall  ye  be,  and  as  a  totter- 
ing   fence. 

4  They  only  consult  to  cast 
him  down  from  his  excellency: 
they  delight  in  lies :  they  bless 
with  their  mouth,  but  they  curse 
inwardly.      Selah. 

5  My  soul,  wait  thou  only  upon 
God ;  for  my  expectation  is  from 
him. 

6  He  only  is  my  rock  and  my 
salvation :  he  is  my  defence ;  I 
shall  not  be  moved. 

7  In  God  is  my  salvation  and 
my  glory:  the  rock  of  my  strength, 
and   my   refuge,  is   in   God. 


Yea,   unto   God   I   submit   me; 

From   Him  is  my  salvation. 

Yea,  He  is  my  rock  and  sal- 
vation. 

My  fortress — I  cannot  be 
moved. 


3.  How  long  will  ye  assail  a  m.an. 
Tear    him    down    all    of    you, 
Like    a    bowing    v/all,    a    tot- 
tering   fence? 

4.  Yea,     from     his     height     they 

plan  to  throw  him  down; 
They     delight     in     Hes;     they 

bless  with   their  mouth, 
In  their  heart  they  curse. 

Selah. 

5.  Yea,    unto    God    I    submit    me ; 

For  from  Him  is  thy  hope. 

6.  Yea,   He  is   my  rock  and  sal- 

vation. 
My      fortress — I      cannot     be 
moved. 

7.  In     God     is     my     safety     and 

honor; 
My    strong    rock;    my    refuge 
in   God. 


238 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


8  Trust  in  him  at  all  times;  ye 
people,  pour  out  your  heart  be- 
fore him :  God  t^  a  refuge  for  us. 
Selah. 

9  Surely  men  of  low  degree  are 
vanity,  and  men  of  high  degree 
are  a  lie :  to  be  laid  in  the  bal- 
ance, they  are  altogether  lighter 
than    vanity. 

10  Trust  not  in  oppression,  and 
become  not  vain  in  robbery :  if 
riches  increase,  set  not  your  heart 
upon   them. 

11  God  hath  spoken  once;  twice 
have  I  heard  this ;  that  power 
belongeth  unto  God. 

12  Also  unto  thee,  O  Lord,  be- 
longeth mercy :  for  thou  renderest 
to  every  man  according  to  his 
work. 


8.  Trust      Him  alway,  ye  people ; 
Pour    out    before    Him    your 

heart. 
God   is   our   refuge.      Selah. 

9.  Yea,    vanity    are    the    children 

of  Adam,  a  lie  the  children 
of  men; 
On     the     scales     they     weigh 
lighter   than   vanity   itself. 

10.    Trust   not   in   oppression,    nor 
grow    vain    in    robbery; 
If     riches     increase,     take    no 

heed  thereto. 
Once  hath  God  said ;  twice  have 
I  heard  it : 
U.    That    strength    is    of    God. 
12.     And    Thine,   oh    Lord,    is    lov- 
ing   kindness. 
For     Thou      rewardest     each 
according   to   his    work. 


God  Our  Refuge 

This  is  a  hymn  praising  the  religion  of  Elohim  in  contrast 
with  the  reHgion  of  the  heathen.  There  is  no  evident  sacri- 
ficial motive,  but  it  is  provided  with  the  selahs  regularly  con- 
nected with  sacrifice.  Characteristic  is  the  emphatic  monosyl- 
labic particle,  translated  yea,  also  the  reference  to  God  as  rock, 
and  fortress. 

It  commences  with  a  stanza  repeated  like  a  refrain  (1,  2 
and  5,  6),  expressing  complete  and  submissive  faith  in  God 
as  the  giver  of  victory  {salvation),  impregnable,  the  rock  and 
fortress;  resembling  in  this  very  strikingly  the  Judean  Psalms. 
In  contrast  with  the  believer  in  Elohim  is  the  treacherous 
idol  worshipper,  that  delights  in  lies,  and  seeks  to  overthrow 
pious  Israel  (3,  4).  After  the  praise  cry  (selah)  the  refrain 
which  gives  the  motive  of  the  Psalm  is  repeated;  then  follows 
a  stanza  of  Israel's  trust  in  the  power  of  God  (7,  8),  in 
contrast  with  the  attitude  of  the  heathen  set  forth  in  the 
corresponding  stanza  in  the  first  half,  followed  by  the  second 
praise  cry  (selah).  In  place  of  the  usual  curse  or  prayer  for 
punishment  of  the  wicked  comes  a  verse  of  condemnation,  in 
its  form  almost  like  Proverbs  (9).  Adam  is  not  a  proper 
name,  but,  as  in  Gen.  2,  3,  a  personification  of  mankind,  and 
we  have  as  usual  the  heathen  expressed  by  this  phrase  and  its 
synonym,  sons  of  men.  In  place  of  the  regular  prayer  of 
confidence  and  praise  cry,  we  have  a  didactic  stanza  (10,  11), 
and  the  closing  doxological  verse  (12)  is  somewhat  of  the  same 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


239 


character.  Moreover,  this  verse  uses  the  late  form,  Adonai,  of 
the  divine  name.  Both  of  these  stanzas  (10-11,  and  12)  are  under 
suspicion  of  being  later  additions. 

LXIII 

A  Psalm  of  David,  when  he  was  in  the  wilderness  of  Judah. 


OGOD,  thou  art  my  God;  early 
will  I  seek  thee :  my  soul 
thirsteth  for  thee,  my  flesh  long- 
eth  for  thee  in  a  dry  and  thirsty 
land,  where  no  water  is ; 

2  To  see  thy  power  and  thy 
glory,  so  as  I  have  seen  thee  in 
the   sanctuary. 

3  Because  thy  lovingkindness  is 
better  than  life,  my  lips  shall  praise 
thee. 

4  Thus  will  I  bless  thee  while 
I  live:  I  will  lift  up  my  hands 
in   thy   name. 

5  My  soul  shall  be  satisfied  as 
zvith  marrow  and  fatness;  and  niy 
mouth  shall  praise  thee  with  joy- 
ful lips: 

6  When  I  remember  thee  upon 
my  bed,  and  meditate  on  thee  in 
the  night  watches. 

7  Because  thou  hast  been  my 
help,  therefore  in  the  shadow  of 
thy  wings   will   I   rejoice. 

8  My  soul  followeth  hard  after 
thee:  thy  right  hand  upholdeth 
me. 

9  But  those  that  seek  my  soul, 
to  destroy  it,  shall  go  into  the 
lower  parts  of  the  earth. 

10  They  shall  fall  by  the  sword: 
they  shall  be  a  portion  for  foxes. 

11  But  the  king  shall  rejoice 
in  God ;  every  one  that  sweareth 
by  him  shall  glory:  but  the  mouth 
of  them  that  speak  lies  shall  be 
stopped. 


1.  God,  my  God  art  Thou; 

To  Thee  I  offer  morning  sac- 
rifice. 

My     soul    hath    thirsted     for 

Thee, 
My     flesh     hath     longed     for 

Thee, 
In    a   dry    and   weary    land, 
Where  no  water  is. 

2.  Thus     in     the    holy    place     1 

have  looked  on  Thee, 
To  see  Thy  strength  and  Thy 

glory;  ,         ,.r     • 

3.  For    that    better    than    life    is 

Thy  love, 
My  lips  do  laud  Thee. 

4.  Thus    I    bless    Thee   with   my 

life. 
In    Thy    name     lift    up     my 
hands, 

5.  As   with   marrow   and   fatness 

I   am   sated, 
And     with     joyful     lips     my 
mouth  doth  praise. 

6.  If  ]  remembered  Thee  on  m\  bed. 
In  the  night  watches  muse  on 

Thee; 

7.  Then  Thou  becamest  my  help, 
And    in    the    shadow    of    Thy 

wings  I  rejoice. 

8.  I  have  cleaved  close  to  Thee, 
For  Thy  right  hand  hath  hold 

on    me. 

9.  And  they  that  seek  to  do  me 

harm. 
Let     them    go    down    to     the 
depths   of    the   earth; 

10.  Be    they    given    over    to    the 

sword. 
Become  a  portion  for  jackals. 

11.  And  king — is  the  glad  in  Gop, 
All   that    swear   by    Him    sing 

praises ; 
For   the   mouth   of   the   idola- 
ters is  stopped. 


240  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

The  Morning  Sacrifice 

This  was  a  liturgy  for  the  royal  morning  sacrifice  (cf.  vv. 
1  and  11),  for  regular  use,  apparently,  and  not  for  some 
special   need. 

It  opens  with  the  assertion  of  the  suppliant's  (the  king) 
faithfulness  to  Elohim  as  his  God,  in  contrast  with  the  heathen 
idolaters  (cf.  11),  to  whom  each  morning  he  offers  sacrifice 
(1  *).  Then  there  is  an  expression  of  his  need  of  God,  under 
the  picture  of  the  surrounding  desert  regions,  thirsty  and 
weary,  with  which  Israel  loved  to  contrast  his  own  country 
(1^'<=).  Out  of  these,  according  to  his  traditions  and  belief, 
he  was  led  into  the  land  of  Elohim,  flowing  with  milk  and 
honey.  Their  drought  and  weariness  are  always  the  symbol 
of  his  distress  and  need,  from  which  he  finds  blessed  relief 
in  the  sanctuary  (holy  place)  of  Elohim.  .Thus  (2,  3),  i.  e., 
as  he  is  now  doing,  referring  to  his  present  act  of  worship, 
he  has  looked  upon  (a  word  used  especially  of  the  act  of  worship 
of  God's  presence)  God  to  imbue  himself  with  His  strength 
and  loving  kindness.  This  does  not  mean  that  there  was  an 
image  of  God,  but  His  presence  was  symbolized  by  emblems, 
such  as  the  memorial  stones,  or  the  inscribed  covenant  and 
law,  or  the  cherubim.  The  next  stanza  (4,  5)  continues  the 
picture  of  the  worship  and  its  meaning.  Thus  I  bless  Thee, 
lift  up  my  hands  to  Thee  in  prayer,  and  a  fat  feast  of  sacrifice 
is  offered,  at  which  were  sung  the  glad  praise  songs.  My  life  (4), 
somewhat  as  in  Babylonian  votive  tablets,  which  the  devotee 
gives  for  his  life.  The  loving  devotion  to  God's  service  of 
prayer  and  sacrifice  here  expressed  has  its  parallel  in  a  Babylon- 
ian penitential  which  has  come  to  us: 

"And  I — I  dreamed  of  prayer  and  supplication; 
Prayer  was  my  musing,  sacrifice  my  law; 
The  day  they  honored  the  gods  the  joy  of  my  heart; 
The  day  they  followed  the  goddess  my  profit  and  my  weal." 

The  meaning  of  the  next  stanza  (6,  7)  is:  Whenever  (if) 
I  am  in  need  or  distress  and  in  my  anxiety  by  night  remember 
(the  sacrificial  term  make  memorial  used  figuratively)  Thee  and 
muse  (a  term  for  the  chanting  of  the  sacrificial  liturgies,  also 
used  figuratively)  on  Thee,  so  surely  I  find  Thee  in  the 
morning  sacrifice,  and  the  shadow  of  Thy  wings  (the  cherubic 
figures)  brings  me  the  joy  of  security  in  that  presence.     Then 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


241 


follows  a  brief  asseveration  (8)  of  his  faithfulness,  adherence 
to  Elohim,  and  his  trust  in  the  support  of  Elohim,  followed 
by  the  usual  curse  against  his  enemies  (9,  10),  here  in  gen- 
eral alien  peoples,  who  are  by  nature  hostile  to  him  and  his 
God;  and  the  final  praise  cry  (11),  with  the  kmg  instead  of  / 
emphasized  in  contrast  with  the  wicked  enemies.  At  the  close 
is  added  the  confident  assurance  of  answer  to  his  prayer,  and 
that  all  that  speak  lies  (a  common  phrase  for  worshippers  of 
idols)  shall  be  put  to  confusion  (their  months  stopped  11). 
Swear  by  Him  is  a  designation  of  the  faithful  Israelite,  to 
whom  Elohim  is  the  name  of  power,  by  which  alone  he  swears 
(cf.  Third  Commandment). 


LXIV 

To  the  chief   Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


HEAR  my  voice,  O  God,  in  my 
prayer:  preserve  my  life  from 
fear    of    the    enemy. 

2  Hide  me  from  the  secret  coun- 
sel of  the  wicked;  from  the  in- 
surrection of  the  workers  of  in- 
iquity : 

3  Who  whet  their  tongue  like  a 
sword,  and  bend  their  boivs_  to 
shoot  their  arrows,  even  bitter 
words : 

4  That  they  may  shoot  in  secret 
at  the  perfect :  suddenly  do  they 
shoot  at  him,   and   fear   not. 

5  They  encourage  themselves  in 
an  evil  matter:  they  commune  of 
laying  snares  privily;  they  say, 
Who  shall  see  them? 

6  They  search  out  iniquities; 
they  accompHsh  a  diligent  search: 
both  the  inward  thought  of  every 
one  of  them,  and  the  heart,  is 
deep. 

7  But  God  shall  shoot  at  them 
with  an  arrow ;  suddenly  shall 
they   be    wounded. 

8  So  they  shall  make  their  own 
tongue  to  fall  upon  themselves: 
all   that   see  them   shall   flee   away. 


1.  Hear,    God,    my    voice    in    my 

lament, 
From    the   god    of    the    enemy 
guard   my   life. 

2.  Hide    me    from    the    assembly 

of   the   wicked, 
From   the   throng   of   the   idol 
worshippers ; 

3.  Who    have    sharpened    like    a 

.  sword    their    tongue, 
Have    aimed    their    arrow,    a 
bitter  word, 

4.  To     shoot    in     secret     at    the 

blameless. 
Suddenly  they  shoot  and  fear 
not. 

5.  They  make  strong  the  wicked 

word. 
They     write     out     snares     to 

bury. 
They  have  said,  Who  seeth? 

6.  They   search   out   evil   things, 
They    have    buried     a    device 

well   devised. 
(And     the     inward     parts     of 
man  and  the  heart  are  deep- 
ly   sinful). 

7.  But    God    aimeth    at    them    an 

arrow, 
Suddenly  they  are  smitten, 

8.  And    their    own    tongue    mak- 

eth   them    fall. 
All    that    look    on    them    wag 
the   head ; 


242 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


9  And  all  men  shall  fear,  and 
shall  declare  the  work  of  God ; 
for  they  shall  wisely  consider  of 
his   doing. 

10  The  righteous  shall  be  glad 
in  the  Lord,  and  shall  trust  in 
him ;  and  all  the  upright  in  heart 
shall  glory. 


9.    And  all  men  see, 

And    proclaim    the     work    of 

God, 
And   sing  his   doings. 

10.     The  righteous  rejoiceth  in  the 

Lord, 
In   whom   he   trusted, 
And   all   the  upright   of   heart 

sing    His    praise. 


Against  Heathen  Charms 

This  Psalm  is  of  the  nature  of  an  incantation  against  the 
charms  of  the  heathen  enemy,  who  are  not  attacking  the 
Israehtes  physically,  but  are  assumed  to  be  conjuring  against 
them  in  the  worship  of  their  gods.  The  reader  will  have  ob- 
served that  Psalms  for  deliverance  contain  regularly  a  curse 
against  the  enemy,  a  prayer  for  his  punishment.  But  similarly 
the  neighboring  nations  at  their  sacrifices  launched  curses  against 
Israel.  That  is  the  meaning  of  the  frequent  references  to 
tongues  which  are  swords,  to  evil  and  lying  words  and  the  like. 
These  curses  were  weapons  as  much  to  be  dreaded  as  physical 
hostilities.  They  brought  sickness,  drought,  failure  of  crops, 
wild  beasts,  injury  to  flocks  and  herds,  and  all  possible  calamity. 
Even  when  they  were  outwardly  at  peace  a  neighboring  nation 
might  be  cursing  them  in  its  worship,  as  they  cursed  the  heathen, 
and  those  curses  must  be  continually  guarded  against,  or  calam- 
ity would  ensue.    Hence  such  a  liturgy  as  this. 

The  petition  (1)  is  for  deliverance  from  the  fear,  i.  e.,  the 
god  of  the  enemy  (cf.  53^  and  note).  Verses  2-4,  continuing 
the  appeal  for  deliverance,  name  first  the  heathen  festivals  (2), 
the  assembly  at  the  sacrificial  feasts,  the  throng  in  the  festival 
processions  and  merry  makings  (the  same  words  which  we 
find  used  of  Israelite  worship  in  55^*);  then  the  curse  {bitter 
word)  directed  against  Israel  (the  blameless)  in  the  liturgies 
accompanying  their  sacrifices.  The  heathen  in  their  appeals 
to  their  gods  were  doing,  in  other  words,  what  the  Israelites 
did  at  their  sacrificial  feasts.  And  as  they  thus  devise  evil 
for  Israel,  shooting  at  him  these  arrows  of  their  curses,  they 
have  no  fear  of  Israel's  God.  Verses  5,  6  continue  the  de- 
scription of  these  heathen  machinations  in  language  very  diffi- 
cult to  translate  because  of  its  technical  terms,  and  allusions  to 
methods  of  cursing  and  conjuring  with  which  we  are  not 
familiar.     They   make   the   curse    (wicked   zvord)    strong,   pre- 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


243 


cisely  as  Hebrew  psalmists  did  in  such  Psalms  as  35,  69 
and  109.  Apparently  they  write  out  and  bury  or  hide  such 
curses  in  some  place,  perhaps  on  Israelite  territory,  where 
they  may  act  like  snares  or  nets  to  entrap  the  unwitting 
Israelite,  thinking  the  while  that  their  guile  escapes  the  sight 
of  God.  They  search  out  and  devise  new  plans  of  conjury; 
and  here  we  have  a  phrase  used  nowhere  else,  which  I  have 
translated  literally  as  a  device  zvell  devised,  but  which  was 
evidently  a  technical  term  for  some  special  form  of  this  curse 
conjury.  The  last  line  of  this  stanza  looks  like  a  pious 
gloss  of  some  later  commentator;  reflecting  on  the  deeply 
sinful  nature  of  the  heart  of  man  which  could  lead  him  to  do 
such  things.  Then  follows  the  confident  prayer,  or  the  as- 
surance of  the  petitioner  that  his  petition  will  be  answered 
(7-9).  God  shoots  a  similar  arrow  at  the  heathen  and  they 
are  smitten  with  calamity,  which  is  the  result  of  their  own 
wicked  devices ;  and  so  clear  is  God's  action  in  their  affliction 
that  all  must  see  and  acknowledge  and  proclaim  God's  law 
and  sing  his  doings,  a  technical  word  for  worshipping  and 
sacrificing  to  Him,  as  is  proclaiming  His  word  for  accepting 
His  low.  Then  follows  the  usual  concluding  praise  cry  (10), 
which  seems,  however,  to  be  a  later  Judean  addition  to  this 
Israelite    Psalm. 


LXV 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  and  Song  of  David. 


PRAISE    waiteth    for    thee,    O 
God,    in    Zion :    and    unto    thee 
shall    the    vow    be    performed. 

2  O  thou  that  hearest  prayer, 
unto  thee   shall  all  flesh  come. 

3  Iniquities  prevail  against  me: 
as  for  our  transgressions,  thou 
shalt  purge   them   away. 

4  Blessed  is  the  man  whom 
thou  choosest,  and  causest  to  ap- 
proach unto  thee,  that  he  may 
dwell  in  thy  courts :  we  shall  be 
satisfied  with  the  goodness  of  thy 
house,   even  of  thy  holy  temple. 

5  By  terrible  things  in  righteous- 
ness wilt  thou  answer  us,  O  God 
of  our  salvation ;  zvho  art  the 
confidence  of  all  the  ends  of  the 
earth,  and  of  them  that  are  afar 
off  upon   the   sea : 


praise, 


O 


1.  Thee      beseemeth 

God,  in  Zion, 
And    to    Thee    are    vows    per- 
formed ; 

2.  Hearer  of  prayer,  to  Thee  let 

all   flesh   come. 

3.  Iniquities    prevail    against    me. 

(Response.) — Our     trespasses 
— do    Thou    atone    them. 

4.  Happy  he  whom  Thou  choos- 

est and  bringest  to  dwell  in 
Thy   courts ! 
(Chorus.) — Let    us     be     filled 
with    the    goodness    of    Thy 
house.    Thy   holy   temple. 

5.  Awful   in  righteousness.  Thou 

answerest    us,    God    of    our 
salvation. 
Hope  of  all  ends  of  the  earth, 
and  of  remotest  isles; — 


244 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


6  Which  by  his  strength  setteth 
fast  the  mountains;  being  girded 
with   power: 

7  Which  stilleth  the  noise  of  the 
seas,  the  noise  of  their  waves,  and 
the    tumult    of    the    people. 

8  They  also  that  dwell  in  the 
uttermost  parts  are  afraid  at  thy 
tokens :  thou  makest  the  outgoings 
of  the  morning  and  evening  to 
rejoice. 

9  Thou  visitest  the  earth,  and 
waterest  it :  thou  greatly  enrichest 
it  with  the  river  of  God,  which 
is  full  of  water :  thou  preparest 
them  corn,  when  thou  hast  so  pro- 
vided   for   it. 

10  Thou  waterest  the  ridges 
thereof  abundantly :  thou  settlest 
the  furrows  thereof :  thou  makest 
it  soft  with  showers :  thou  bless- 
est  the   springing  thereof. 

11  Thou  crownest  the  year  with 
thy  goodness ;  and  thy  paths  drop 
fatness. 

12  They  drop  upon  the  pastures 
of  the  wilderness :  and  the  little 
hills    rejoice   on   every   side. 

13  The  pastures  are  clothed  with 
flocks ;  the  valleys  also  are  cov- 
ered over  with  corn ;  they  shout 
for    joy,    they    also    sing. 


6.  Who     establisheth     mountains 

by    His    strength ; 
Who  is  girded  with  might; 

7.  Who    stilleth    the    roaring    of 

the    seas. 
The    roaring    of    their    waves. 
And    the    tumult    of    the    na- 
tions ; — 

8.  So     that     furthest     lands     are 

afraid    of    Thy    signs; 
Thou  makest  sunrise  and  sun- 
set  cry   aloud. 

9.  Thou  didst  visit  the  land  and 

water  it, 
Greatly    Thou    enrichest    it, 
(God's  river  is  full  of  water) 
Thou    preparest    their    corn. 
For  thus  Thou  preparest  it; 

10.  Her     furrows     watering,     her 

ridges    smoothing. 
With  showers  Thou   softenest 
her,     her     sprouting     Thou 
blessest. 

11.  Thou    hast    crov/ned    the    year 

with    Thy    goodness, 
And  Thy  chariot  wheels  drop 
fatness. 

12.  Wilderness  pastures  run  over, 
And    the    hills    are    girt    with 

joy. 

13.  The    meadows    are    clad    with 

flocks, 
And   the   valleys   clothed    with 
grain. 

Let  them   shout,  yea  let  them 
singl 


Harvest  Hymn 

This  Psalm  was  a  thank  offering  liturgy  for  the  offering 
of  the  first  fruits  of  the  harvest  (Deut.  26),  for  which  in  later 
times  delegations  came  up  from  their  villages  to  Jerusalem, 
as  in  the  Israelite  period  presumably  from  the  villages  to  the 
temple  of  the  district;  in  this  case  supposedly  Shechem. 

The  Psalm  opens  with  an  ascription  of  praise  to  God  to 
whose  Temple  in  Zion  all  must  come  to  offer  their  vows 
(1,  2).  The  use  of  Zion  suggests  that  this  verse  was  pre- 
fixed, or  an  existing  verse  modified  into  this  form  to  adapt 
it  to  use  in  the  Jerusalem  Temple  when  this  Israelite  collection 
of  Psalms  was  adopted  into  the  Jerusalem  Prayer  Book.  On 
the   other  hand   it   should   be   said   that   we   do   not  know   the 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  245 

origin  of  the  word  or  name  of  Zion.  There  are  some  indi- 
cations that  it  was  originally  the  name  for  any  fortress  tem- 
ple, ultimately  appropriated  exclusively  to  the  Temple  at  Jeru- 
salem. There  follows  a  brief  responsive  ritual  (3,  4),  a 
confession  of  sin  and  petition  for  forgiveness  {atone,  literally 
cover  over),  possibly  accompanied  by  some  sacrificial  act; 
after  which  the  priest  welcomes  the  delegations  to  the  Temple 
(cf.  Introduction  for  the  later  ritual  of  first  fruit  offerings), 
and  the  people  pray  that  they  may  be  blessed  with  the  bounty 
of  the  Temple  and  the  privilege  of  its  holiness.  Thy  holy 
temple,  or  perhaps  better,  the  holiness  of  Thy  temple.  Then 
follows  the  service  of  praise  prescribed  in  Deut.  26  ^°-  ^^.  God, 
whose  righteousness  is  shown  in  His  wonderful  and  fearsome 
acts,  has  accepted  them.  He  is  the  God  who  saves  them  by 
this  very  fearsomeness,  whose  awful  power  is  shown  in  the 
making  of  the  mountains  and  the  control  of  the  roaring  ocean, 
and  of  the  nations  who  roar  and  threaten  like  the  breakers 
of  the  sea  (5-8).  The  heavenly  signs  which  the  nations 
worship  are  His  creations,  and  His  rule  extends  from  sunrise 
to  sunset,  to  the  distant  lands  far  over  the  sea.  There  is 
here  an  expression  of  that  same  universality  which  repre- 
sents Yahaweh,  as  in  Ps.  XXIX,  as  lord  of  all  the  gods,  or 
His  mountain,  as  in  the  old  prophecy  cited  in  Is.  2  and  Mi.  4, 
as  exalted  over  all  the  world,  so  that  all  nations  flow  to  it 
to  learn  His  ways ;  a  universality  whose  roots  lie  far  down 
in  the  Hebrew  conception  of  their  God.  The  next  stanza 
(9-13  ^)  describes  God's  wonderful  acts  in  His  dealings  with 
the  land  of  Israel,  in  providing  the  abundant  harvest  of 
which  they  are  ofiiering  the  first  fruits.  He  gave  it  rain 
from  His  heavenly  river  (cf.  Job  38  ^^■-^  also  Ps.  29),  soften- 
ing the  earth  that  so  the  tender  shoots  might  grow,  until  in 
harvest  the  year  was  crowned  with  goodness,  as  the  hills  of 
Samaria  were  crowned  with  golden  grain.  The  clouds  are  His 
chariots  whose  ivhcels  (or  tracks)  drop  or  run  over  with 
fatness.  It  is  a  beautiful  description  of  the  hills  of  Samaria 
as  one  sees  them  in  the  harvest.  They  are  terraced  from  top 
to  bottom  and  planted  with  olives,  among  which  grows  the 
golden  grain,  like  belts  of  richness  encircling  the  hills,  each 
terrace  dropping  its  wealth  of  corn  tops  bending  with  their 
fatness  toward  the  belt  beneath.  Even  the  rough  lands  on 
the  edge  of  the  wilderness  run  over,  while  the  hills  of  Samaria 
are  all  of  them  girdled  with  the  joy  of  a  rich  harvest.     The 


246 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


untillable  lands  are  mantled  with  sheep,  and  even  in  the  wadis 
grain  grows  in  the  bottoms.  The  Psalm  closes  as  usual  with 
a  praise  cry   (13^),  here  very  brief. 


LXVI 

To   the   chief   Musician,   A   Song   or   Psalm. 


M 


AKE     a     joyful     noise 
God,    all    ye    lands : 


unto 


2  Sing  forth  the  honour  of  his 
name :   make  his  praise  glorious. 

3  Say  unto  God,  How  terrible 
art  thou  in  thy  works !  through 
the  greatness  of  thy  power  shall 
thine  enemies  submit  themselves 
unto  thee. 

4  All  the  earth  shall  worship 
thee,  and  shall  sing  unto  thee : 
they  shall  sing  to  thy  name.  Se- 
lah. 

5  Come  and  see  the  works  of 
God :  he  is  terrible  in  his  doing 
toward    the   children   of    men. 

6  He  turned  the  sea  into  dry 
land :  they  went  through  the  flood 
on  foot:  there  did  we  rejoice  in 
him. 

7  He  ruleth  by  his  power  for 
ever ;  his  eyes  behold  the  nations : 
let  not  the  rebellious  exalt  them- 
selves.    Selah. 

8  O  bless  our  God,  ye  people, 
and  make  the  voice  of  his  praise 
to  be  heard : 

9  Which  holdeth  our  soul  in 
life,  and  suffereth  not  our  feet  to 
be  moved. 

10  For  thou,  O  God,  hast  proved 
us :  thou  hast  tried  us,  as  silver 
is    tried. 

11  Thou  broughtest  us  into  the 
net;  thou  laidst  affliction  upon  our 
loins. 

12  Thou  hast  caused  men  to 
ride  over  our  heads ;  we  went 
through  fire  and  through  water : 
but  thou  broughtest  us  out  into  a 
yvealthy  place. 


1.  Make  a  glad  noise  to  God  all 

the    earth. 

2.  Chant  the  glory  of  His  name, 
Make  glorious   His  praise. 

3.  Say    to    God,    How    fearsome 

Thy    doings. 
By     the     greatness     of     Thy 
might  Thine  enemies  cringe 
to   Thee. 

4.  Let    all    the    earth    bow    down 

to   Thee, 
And    chant    to     Thee,     chant 
Thy    name. 

Selah. 

5.  Come    and    see    the    wonders 

of    God, 
Awful    in   terribleness    toward 
the   sons   of   man. 

6.  He    turned    the    sea    into    dry 

land. 
That      they      pass      thru      the 

river  on  foot 
(There  we   rejoice  in   Him). 

7.  Ruling    with    His    prowess    of 

old, 
His     eyes     spy     out     on     the 

heathen. 
The  adversary  doth  not  exalt 

himself. 

Selah. 

8.  Bless    our    God,   ye   peoples. 
And   sound   the   voice   of    His 

praise. 

9.  He  hath  preserved  us  alive, 
And  suffered  not  our  foot  to 

be   moved. 

10.  For   Thou    didst   try   us,    Gop, 
Didst    puige    us    as    silver    is 

purged ; 

11.  Didst    bring    us    into    the    net, 
Laid    a   heavy   weight    on   our 

loins ; 

12.  Made     men     drive     over     out 

heads. 
We  came  thru  fire  and  water, 
And   Thou  didst   bring  us   out 

into   security. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


247 


13  I  will  go  into  thy  house 
with  burnt  offerings :  I  will  pay 
thee   my   vows, 

14  Which  my  lips  have  uttered, 
and  my  mouth  hath  spoken,  when 
I   was   in   trouble. 

15  I  will  offer  unto  thee  burnt 
sacrifices  of  fatlings,  with  the  in- 
cense of  rams :  I  will  offer  bul- 
locks   with   goats.      Selah. 

16  Come  and  hear,  all  ye  that 
fear  God,  and  I  will  declare  what 
he  hath  done  for  my  soul. 

17  I  cried  unto  him  with  my 
mouth,  and  he  was  extolled  with 
my  tongue. 

18  If  I  regard  iniquity  in  my 
heart,  the  Lord  will  not  hear  me : 

19  But  verily  God  hath  heard 
ute;  he  hath  attended  to  the  voice 
of   my  prayer. 

20  Blessed  be  God,  which  hath 
not  turned  away  my  prayer,  nor 
his    mercy    from    me. 


1.1 


1 


I    come   into    Thy   house   with 

burnt   offerings, 
I  pay  unto   Thee  my  vows, 
14.     Which   my   lips   promised. 

And    my   mouth   spake   in   my 

strait. 
Whole     burnt     of     fatlings     I 

sacrifice  to  Thee, 
With    the   savor   of    rams ; 
I  oft'er  a  bullock,   with  goats. 

Selah. 
1(5.     Come,    hear,    and    I    will    re- 
cord   it,    all    ye    that     fear 

God, 
What   He  hath  done   for  me. 
17.     Unto    Him    I    cried    with    my 

mouth, 
And    exalted    Him    with    my 

tongue 
(Have    I    looked    on    the    evil 

in    thought, 
The    Lord   heareth   not). 
Verily   God   heard, 
Gave    heed    to    the    voice    of 

my  prayer. 


13 


19, 


23.     Blessed    be    God, 

Who    hath    not    rejected    my 

prayer. 
Nor    averted     from    me     His 
grace. 


Royal  Thank  Offering 

This  is  a  liturgy  for  a  royal  thank  offering,  a  holocaust 
of  bulls,  sheep  and  goats,  vowed  by  the  king  for  deliverance 
from  some  peril  not  specified.  It  maintains  a  tone  of  great 
rejoicing,   and    is    entirely    devoid    of    any   penitential    element. 

It  commences  with  a  half  vers 3  (1),  which  forms  the  cap- 
tion of  the  Psalm.  This  is  addressed  to  all  the  earth,  in  the 
same  spirit  of  universality  as  the  preceding  Psalm,  and  is  a 
summons  to  raise  the  sacrificial  shout  {glad  noise)  of  trumpets 
and  instruments  and  the  human  voice.  Then  all  are  called  on 
(2-4)  to  sing  with  instrumental  accompaniment  {chant,  or 
make  psalmody)  the  glory  of  the  name  Elohim,  that  is  that 
Elohim  is  God  alone  or  above  all.  Then  we  pass  over  into 
the  praise  of  His  fearsome  deeds  toward  His  foes,  which 
have  made  His  enemies  unwillingly  or  deceitfully  acknowledge 
His  might  {cringe  to  Thee,  a  phrase  used  also  in  Deut.  33^^). 
All  the  earth  is  called  upon  to  prostrate  itself  before  Him, 
as   He   appears   in   the   sacrificial   fire,   and   chant   His   name; 


248  THE  PSALAIS  AS  LITURGIES 

and   selah    indicates    the    clashing   and    blaring    of    instruments 
and   the   shouting   of    halleluiahs   and   the    like   which    follows. 
The  same  theme  is  resumed  (5-7)  with  particular  reference  to 
God's    deliverance    of    Israel    from    the    Egyptian    captivity,    a 
favorite  theme  of  poets  and  prophets,  especially  of  the  northern 
kingdom    (see   for  a   similar   use   in   Israelite   Psalms   74,   78). 
Here    the    Psalmist    utilizes    the    narrative    of    the    Elohist    as 
contained    in    Ex.    14.      This    stanza    commences    with    a    line 
(5^)  very  like  Ps.  46  ^     It  will  be  observed  that  all  the  liter- 
ary references  so   far  given  are  to  Israelite  not  Judean  docu- 
ments, making  more  clear  the  place   of  origin  of   this   Psalm, 
as  of  the  collection  of   which  it  is  a  part.     Children   of  man 
(5)    is    the    ordinary    term    for    heathen.      River    (6)    is    the 
tongue     of    the    sea,    thru    which     Israel    passed    dry     shod. 
There  we  rejoice   (6)   may  be  a  later  gloss.     It  is  a  reference 
to  the  rejoicing  over  the   passage  of   the  sea   in   the   song  of 
Miriam   (Ex.  15).     His  eyes  spy   (7)   refers  to  God's  presence 
in    the    cloud    to    lead    by    day,    and    the    pillar    of    fire    as    a 
rear    guard    by    night,    from    which    God    looked    out    on    the 
heathen,  i.  e.,  the  Egyptians,  and  because  of  which  this  adver- 
sary could  not  exalt  himself,  i.  e.,  was  powerless  to  do  ill  to 
Israel.     Then  follows  another  outburst  of  praise  noises,   indi- 
cated by  selah.     The  next  stanza    (8-12)    commences   like  the 
two  preceding  with  a  summons  to  praise,  addressed  as  before 
to   all  the  world,   and   then   proceeds   to   summarize   the   story 
of  the  wanderings  and  the  defeats  and  calamities  of  the  forty 
years,  prefacing  it,  however,  by  the  assurance  that  all   ended 
well;  they  were  preserved  alive,  and,  the  common  Psalm  fig- 
ure,  their  foot  was   not   moved    (9).      He   explains   these   ex- 
periences, described  under  the  figures  of  the  creature  trapped 
in  the  hunter's  net,  the  captive  burdened  with  heavy  loads  (11), 
the  trampling  under   foot,  literally   and  figuratively,   by  lordly 
charioteers,    and   the    passage   thru    fire   and    water    (12,    used 
later  by  Deutero-Isaiah,  when  he  translates  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tian deliverance  into  terms  of  the  new  deliverance  from  Baby- 
lon, a  passage  dependent  on  this  Psalm  or  some  similar  liturgy, 
Is.  43  2),  as  a  testing  and  a  purifying  by  God    (10),  who  in 
the  conquest   of   Canaan  brought   them  out   at   the   last   in   se- 
curity   (12),   i.   e.,  into   the   rich  land,   flowing  with   milk  and 
honey.      Then    we    have    a    statement    of    the    sacrifice    to    be 
offered,  a  right   royal   one,  and  its   cause    (13-15).     Here   we 
have  evidently  pre-exilic  material,  the  word  used  in  the  later 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


249 


days  to  indicate  the  odor  of  incense  referring  here  to  the  smell, 
the  appetizing  savor  (15)  of  the  flesh  of  the  beasts  offered, 
as  in  Isaiah,  and  earlier.  This  is  followed  by  the  third  and 
final  selah,  after  which  comes  the  confident  assertion  of  God's 
favorable  answer  (16-19),  in  this  case  not  as  something  to 
come,  but  as  a  fact  accomplished.  Verse  18  seems  to  be  a 
later  explanatory  pietistic  gloss.  Record  (16)  is  the  regular 
word  for  writing,  and  I  fancy  that  it  means  not  merely  declare, 
but  write  out,  as  in  Psalm  64,  viz.,  that  the  song  or  liturgy 
was  written  down  for  preservation.  In  contrast  with  the 
preceding  parts  of  the  Psalm  this  stanza  is  addressed  to  the 
faithful  Israelites  (ye  that  fear  God,  16),  who  share  in  the 
answer  to  the  king's  petition  and  exult  with  him  over  all 
God's  exhibitions  of  His  triumphant  power  in  the  world.  Then 
follows    the    concluding    benediction    (20). 


LXVII 

To  the  chief  Musician   on  Neginoth,  A  Psalm  or  Song. 

1.     God  be  merciful  unto  us,  and 
bless    us ; 
Cause     His      face     to      shine 
among    us.  Selah. 


GOD    be    merciful   unto   us,    and 
bless    us ;    and   cause   his    face 
to  shine  upon  us;   Selah. 


2  That  thy  way  may  be  known 
upon  earth,  thy  saving  health 
among   all   nations. 

3  Let  the  people  praise  thee,  O 
God;  let  all  the  people  praise 
thee. 

4  O  let  the  nations  be  glad 
and  sing  for  joy:  for  thou  shalt 
judge  the  people  righteously,  and 
govern  the  nations  upon  earth. 
Selah. 

5  Let  the  people  praise  thee,  O 
God;  let  all  the  people  praise 
thee. 

6  Then  shall  the  earth  yield  her 
increase ;  and  God,  even  our  own 
God,    shall    bless    us. 

7  God  shall  bless  us;  and  all 
the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  fear 
him. 


2.  That  Thy  way  may  be  known 

upon  earth. 
Thy    saving  health   among   all 
nations. 

3.  Let    the    peoples   praise    Thee, 

O    God, 
Let     all     the     peoples     praise 
Thee. 

4.  Let    the    nations    rejoice    and 

be  glad; 
For  Thou  dost  judge  the  folk 

righteously. 
And  govern  the  nations  upon 

earth. 

Selah. 

5.  Let   the    peoples    praise    Thee, 

O    God, 
Let     all     the     peoples     praise 
Thee. 

6.  Earth    hath    yielded     her    in- 

crease; 
God,   our   God,   doth   bless   us. 

7.  God   doth  bless   us ; 

And  all  the  ends  of  the  earth 
shall   fear  Him. 


250  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

The  First  Fruits 

This  is,  like  65,  a  liturgy  for  the  offering  of  the  first  fruits, 
but  much  shorter  and  simpler.  It  shows  the  same  universalism 
as    the    two    preceding    Psalms. 

It  opens  with  an  appeal  for  pity  (\)  corresponding  to  the 
confession  of  sin  in  65,  and  in  place  of  the  priestly  welcome 
in  that  Psalm  we  have  here  a  sacrifice,  the  appearance  of 
God  in  the  fire  being  indicated  by  the  words  cause  His  face 
to  shine;  whereupon,  as  indicated  by  the  selah,  the  worshippers 
prostrate  themselves  and  the  shout  goes  up.  This  whole  first 
phrase  is  singularly  reminiscent  of  the  priestly  benediction  in 
Num.  6  ^■^'"",  but  cast  in  the  form  of  a  praper.  The  sclah  is 
followed  by  a  wish  for  the  knowledge  of  the  religion  (way) 
of  God  in  all  the  earth  (2),  concluding  with  a  thank  offering 
chorus,  in  which  all  peoples  are  summoned  to  join  (3).  Then 
the  nations  are  bidden  to  rejoice  in  the  knowledge  of  God's 
righteous  government  of  the  world  (4),  followed  by  another 
selah,  and  that  again  by  the  thank  offering  chorus  (5),  in 
which  the  peoples  are  bidden  to  join.  This  ends  the  sacrifice 
element,  after  which  comes  the  presentation  of  the  first  fruits, 
with  a  song  of  praise,  and  blessing  for  God's  bounty  in  the 
harvest  (6,  7),  corresponding  to  vv.  9-13  of  Ps.  65,  ending 
with  a  repetition  of  the  universal  element,  but  with  no  song 
of  God's  great  deeds,  such  as  65  has. 

This  Psalm  is  an  evening  canticle  in  the  Anglican  use,  under 
the  Latin  title  Detts  Misereatur. 


LXVIII 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  or  Song  of  David. 

1.    God   ariseth.   His   enemies   are 
scattered, 
And   they  that  hate   Him   flee 
before    Him. 


LET   God  arise,  let  his   enemies 
be    scattered :     let    them    also 
that    hate    him    flee    before    him. 


2  As  smoke  is  driven  away,  so 
drive  them  away :  as  wax  melteth 
before  the  fire,  so  let  the  wicked 
perish   at  the  presence  of   God. 

3  But  let  the  righteous  be  glad; 
let  them  rejoice  before  God :  yea, 
let   them   exceedingly   rejoice. 

4  Sing  unto  God,  sing  praises 
to  his  name :  extol  him  that  rideth 
upon  the  heavens  by  his  name 
Jah,  and  rejoice  before  him. 


2.  As     smoke     is     driven,     Thou 

drivest ; 
As    wax    melteth    before    fire. 
The   perish  before  godless  God. 

3.  But  the  righteous  rejoice; 
They    triumph    before    God, 
And  exult  with  great  joy. 

4.  Sing  unto  God,  chant  His  name, 
Cast  up  a  way  for  Him  that 

rideth  in  the  desert, 
His   name,    Yah,    and    triumph 
before   Him. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


251 


5  A  father  of  the  fatherless, 
and  a  judge  of  the  widows,  is 
God    in    his    holy    habitation. 

6  God  setteth  the  solitary  in 
families ;  he  bringeth  out  those 
which  are  bound  with  chains :  but 
the  rebellious  dwell  in  a  dry  land. 

7  O  God,  when  thou  wentest 
forth  before  thy  people,  when 
thou  didst  march  through  the 
wilderness ;    Selah : 

8  The  earth  shook,  the  heavens 
also  dropped  at  the  presence  of 
God ;  even  Sinai  itself  zvas  moved 
at  the  presence  of  God,  the  God 
of   Israel. 

9  Thou,  O  God,  didst  send  a 
plentiful  rain,  whereby  thou  didst 
confirm  thine  inheritance,  when  it 
was  weary. 

10  Thy  congregation  hath  dwelt 
therein :  thou,  O  God,  hast  pre- 
pared of  thy  goodness  for  the 
poor. 

11  The  Lord  gave  the  word: 
great  was  the  company  of  those 
that  published  it. 

12  Kings  of  armies  did  flee 
apace :  and  she  that  tarried  at 
home  divided  the  spoil. 

13  Though  ye  have  lain  among 
the  pots,  yet  shall  ye  be  as  the 
wings  of  a  dove  covered  with 
silver,  and  her  feathers  with  yel- 
low gold. 

14  When  the  Almighty  scattered 
kings  in  it,  it  was  white  as  snow 
in  Salmon. 

15  The  hill  of  God  is  as  the 
hill  of  Bashan;  a  high  hill  as  the 
hill  of  Bashan. 

16  Why  leap  ye,  ye  high  hills? 
this  is  the  hill  which  God  desireth 
to  dwell  in;  yea,  the  Lord  will 
dwell  in  it  for  ever. 

17  The  chariots  of  God  arc 
twenty  thousand,  even  thousands 
of  angels:  the  Lord  is  among 
them,  as  in  Sinai,  in  the  holy 
place. 


5.  Father  of   the   fatherless,   and 

judge  of  widows. 
Is  God  in  His  holy  habitation. 

6.  God    maketh    the    desolate    an 

household, 
Bringeth  out  the  captives  into 

prosperity ; 
But    the     rebellious    dwell    in 

parched   lands. 

7.  O    God,    when    Thou    wentest 

forth    before    Thy    people, 
When      Thou      didst      march 
through  the  wilderness! 

Selah. 

8.  Earth     quaked,     yea     heaven 

dropped  before  God, 
Yon     Sinai     before     God,    the 
God   of   Israel. 

9.  With    a    rain    of    freewill    of- 

ferings     Thou     besprinklest 
Thine    heritage. 
And  when  it  was  weary  Thou 
didst   restore   it. 

10.  Thy   beasts   that   dwell   therein 
Thou  providest   in  Thy  boun- 
ty   for    the    needy,    O    God. 

11.  (The    Lord   giveth   a   word; 
The    women    bringing    tidings 

of   a  great  host:) 

12.  "Kings  of  hosts  flee,  they  flee. 
And  a  housewife  divideth  the 
spoil." 

13.  "If     ye     dwell     among     dung 

heaps." 
"Dove's    wings    covered     with 

silver, 
Her     pinions     with     glittering 

gold." 

14.  "When  the  Almighty  scattered 

kings  therein." 
"It  snoweth  in  Zalmon." 

15.  A  mountain  of   God  is  Mount 

Bashan; 
A   mount   of   peaks   is   Mount 
Bashan. 

16.  Why     envy     ye,     ye     peaked 

mountains. 

The  mountain  that  God  de- 
sired   for    His    abode? 

(Yea,  the  Lord  dwelleth  for- 
ever.) 

17.  The   chariots   of   God  are   ten 

thousand     thousands. 
(The     Lord     is     come     from 
Sinai   to   His   shrine.) 


252 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


18  Thou  hast  ascended  on  high, 
thou  hast  led  captivity  captive, 
thou  hast  received  gifts  for  men; 
yea,  for  the  rebellious  also,  that 
the  Lord  God  might  dwell  among 
them. 

19  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  ivho 
daily  loadeth  us  with  benefits,  even 
the   God   of  our  salvation.     Selah. 

20  He  that  is  our  God  is  the 
God  of  salvation;  and  unto  God 
the  Lord  belong  the  issues  from 
death. 

21  But  God  shall  wound  the 
head  of  his  enemies,  and  the  hairy 
scalp  of  such  a  one  as  goeth  on 
still  in  his  trespasses. 

22  The  Lord  said,  I  will  bring 
again  from  Bashan,  I  will  brinf,- 
my  people  again  from  the  depth: 
of  the  sea : 

23  That  thy  foot  may  be  dipped 
in  the  blood  of  thine  enemies,  and 
the  tongue  of  thy  dogs  in  the 
same. 

24  They  have  seen  thy  goings, 
O  God;  even  the  goings  of  my 
God,    my    King,    in    the    sanctuary. 

25  The  singers  went  before,  the 
players  on  instruments  followed 
after;  among  them  were  the  dam- 
sels   playing    with    timbrels. 

26  Bless  ye  God  in  the  congre- 
gations, even  the  Lord,  from  the 
fountain  of   Israel. 

27  There  is  little  Benjamin  zvith 
their  ruler,  the  princes  of  Juda!i 
and  their  council,  the  princes  of 
Zebulun,  and  the  princes  of  Naph- 
tali. 

28  Thy  God  hath  commanded 
thy  strength:  strengthen,  O  God, 
that  which  thou  hast  wrought  for 
us. 

29  Because  of  thy  temple  at 
Jerusalem  shall  kings  bring  pres- 
ents   unto    thee. 


18.  Thou   hast   gone   up   on   high, 

led    captives    captive. 
Taken    tribute    of    men,    even 

them    that    rebel. 
That  God  may  dwell  therein! 

19.  Blessed    be    the    Lord, 

That    daily    beareth    our    bur- 
den. 
The  God  of  our  victories. 

Selah. 

20.  (Our   God  is  a  God  that  sav- 

eth. 
To    Yahaweh    the    Lord    be- 
long the  issues   of   death.) 

21.  Surely  God  crusheth  the  head 

of    His    foes, 
The    hairy    scalp    of    such    as 
walk    in    guiltiness ; 

22.  (The  Lord  said:   I  will  bring 

back  from  Bashan; 
I    will    bring    back    from    the 
depths  of  the  sea;) 

23.  That  thy  foot  may  be  bathed 

in    blood, 
The  tongue  of  thy  dogs  have 
its  portion  of  thy  foes. 

24.  They    have    seen    Thy    goings, 

God, 
The    goings    of    my    God,    my 
king    in    the    sanctuary. 

25.  Singers  went  before,  minstrels 

followed    after, 
In  the  midst  of  damsels  play- 
ing   timbrels. 

26.  In      the      congregations      they 

have  blessed   God, 
The    Lord,    from   the   well    of 
Israel. 

27.  There       is       little       Benjamin 

bnnging  them  down, 
The    princes    of    Judah    their 

leaders ; 
Princes    of     Zebulun,    princes 

of   Naphtali. 

28.  Put  forth.  O  God,  Thy  strength  ; 
Strengthen,  O  God.  what  Thou 

hast    wrought    for    us. 

29.  (From    Thy    temple    at    Jeru- 

salem) 
To  Thee  let  kings  bring  gifts. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


253 


30  Rebuke  the  company  of 
spearmen,  the  muhitude  of  the 
bulls,  with  the  calves  of  the  peo- 
ple, till  every  one  submit  himself 
with  pieces  of  silver:  scatter  thou 
the  people   that  delight  in   war. 

31  Princes  shall  come  out  of 
Egypt ;  Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch 
out  her  hands  unto  God. 

32  Sing  unto  God,  ye  kingdoms 
of  the  earth ;  O  sing  praises  unto 
the  Lord ;   Selah  : 

33  To  him  that  rideth  upon  the 
heavens  of  heavens,  which  were 
of  old ;  lo,  he  doth  send  out  his 
voice,  and  that  a  mighty  voice. 

34  Ascribe  ye  strength  unto 
God :  his  excellency  is  over  Israel, 
and  his   strength  is  in   the   clouds. 

35  O  God,  thou  art  terrible  out 
of  thy  holy  places :  the  God  of 
Israel  is  he  that  giveth  strength 
and  power  unto  his  people.  Blessed 
be   God. 


30.  Rebuke     the     beast      of      the 

reeds. 
The  assemblage  of  bulls,  with 

kine  of  the  peoples, 
Trampling     down     them     that 

delight  in  silver; 
Scatter  Thou  the  nations  that 

rejoice  in  war. 

31.  Let     princes     come     out     of 

Egypt ; 
Ethiopia     stretch      forth     her 
hands    unto    God. 

32.  Ye    kingdoms    of    the    earth, 

sing   unto    God. 
Chant  to  the  Lord. 

Selah. 

33.  To    Him    that    rideth    on    the 

heavens,     the     heavens      of 
yore ; 
Behold,  He  uttereth  His  voice, 
a   mighty  voice. 

34.  Ascribe  might  unto   God  over 

Israel ; 
His    majesty    and    His    might 
are  in  the  skies. 

35.  Terrible  art  Thou,  God,   from 

Thy  sanctuary ; 
Israel's  God. 
He    giveth    mighty    power    to 

His  people ;  blessed  be  God. 


Israel's  Psalm  of  Triumph 

This  is  the  most  difficult  Psalm  in  the  Psalter,  and  it  is  with 
much  diffidence  that  I  present  the  above  translation.  The 
general  meaning  of  the  Psalm  is  clear;  it  is  in  details  that  the 
difficulties  occur,  and  especially  in  the  text,  which  is  in 
several  places  in  seemingly  hopeless  confusion.  It  is  a  liturgy 
for  a  royal  triumph,  and  it  is  worthy  of  note,  as  characteristic 
of  the  systematic  arrangement  of  this  Psalter,  that,  as  we 
had  four  maskils  and  five  miktams  (three  of  the  latter  also 
Destroy  Nots)  placed  together,  so  four  joy  Psalms,  65-68, 
have  also  been  brought  into  juxtaposition.  This  Psalm  is  so 
emphatically  Elohistic  that  in  it  phrases  familiar  in  old  hymns 
in  a  Yahawistic  form,  which  is  supposed  to  be  the  original, 
appear  with  Elohim  in  place  of  Yahaweh.  It  is  ancient,  but 
it  uses  still  more  ancient  songs  and  liturgies.  It  is  evidently 
Shechemite  in  origin,  a  liturgy  composed  to  celebrate  the  vic- 
tories of  an  Israelite  king,  apparently  Jeroboam  II,  under  whom. 


254  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

about  750  B.  C,  the  kingdom  of  Israd  reached  the  pinnacle  of 
its  power,  a  power  almost  equalling  that  of  David.  There  is 
no  reference  in  the  Psalm  to  any  one  victory  or  conquest, 
in  which  it  resembles  the  great  Davidic  hymn  (Ps.  18).  It 
follows,  with  much  greater  elaboration,  the  scheme  of  Ps.  66, 
recounting  the  story  of  Israel  from  the  deliverance  from  Egypt 
on,  thru  the  experiences  of  the  wilderness  wanderings  to 
the. conquest  of  Canaan,  and  the  establishment  of  the  sanctuary 
at  Shechem,  the  glory  of  whose  worship  it  sings,  and,  after 
telling  of  the  triumphs  and  deliverances  wrought  by  God 
there  enshrined,  it  appeals  for  further  evidences  of  His 
power  especially  to  Egypt  and  Assyria,  closing  with  the  usual 
praise  song.  The  difficulties  are  due  partly  to  the  unusually 
dramatic  presentation  of  the  theme,  partly  to  the  occasional 
peculiar  words  and  constructions  characteristic  of  so  many 
of  these  Shechem  Psalms,  partly  to  the  necessity  of  making 
changes  to  adapt  it  to  Jerusalem  use,  and  text  corruptions 
ensuing  therefrom,  and  partly  to  the  introduction  of  glosses 
intended  to  explain  certain  words  and  phrases,  which  then 
crept  into  the  text. 

It  commences  (1)  with  a  paraphrase  of  the  Ark  Song 
(Num.  10^^),  used  by  Moses  when  the  Ark,  emblem  of  God's 
presence  and  Israel's  palladium  of  old,  set  forth  on  its  jour- 
neys. This  is  the  beginning  of  God's  triumphant  and  vic- 
torious progress.  It  should  be  observed  that  where  the  Ark 
Song  used  Yahaweh,  our  Psalm  uses  Elohim.  This  intro- 
duces a  little  triumph  song  of  general  character  (2,  3),  a 
common  opening  of  Psalms,  and  using  familiar  phrases.  The 
godless,  or  wicked,  are,  as  always,  the  hostile  heathen,  in 
contrast  with  righteous  Israel.  Then,  with  a  call  to  sing  and 
make  psalmody,  we  are  reminded  of  God's  wonderful  guidance 
of  them  thru  the  desert,  and  of  their  deliverance  from 
Egyptian  captivity  (4-6).  In  v.  4  cast  up  a  way  and  desert 
contain  plays  on  words  which  we  can  scarcely  represent,  a 
sort  of  thing  common  in  early  Hebrew  poetry  (cf.  Gen.  49). 
The  rather  unusual  words  here  used  must  inevitably  have  sug- 
gested also  to  a  Hebrew's  ear  the  meaning:  "Extol  Him  that 
rideth  in  the  clouds."  In  the  sense  in  which  we  have  trans- 
lated the  words  they  were  used  later  by  Deutero-Isaiah  when 
he  pictured  the  new  deliverance  from  Babylon  in  terms  of  the 
old  deliverance  from  Egypt  (cf.  Is.  40^,  57",  62").  Jah  or 
Yah    (4),    the    primitive    form    of    God's    personal    name,    re- 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  255 

tained  in  the  ritual  cry  hallclu-yah,  praise  Yah.  Verses 
5  and  6  depict  God's  deliverance  of  the  Israelite  from  Egyp- 
tian bondage,  fathering  the  fatherless,  giving  justice  to  widows, 
making  the  desolate  a  family,  bringing  captives  into  security 
and  prosperity,  in  language  often  called  Deuteronomic.  This 
lies  behind  Dt.  10  ^«-22,  and  Hos.  14  ^  and  evidently  was 
familiar  phraseology  in  Israel.  The  holy  habitation  of  5  is 
God's  heavenly  habitation  (cf.  Dt.  26^^).  The  rebellious  are 
apparently  the  peoples  who  opposed  or  obstructed  their  prog- 
ress toward  Canaan,  such  as  Amalek  and  Edom.  \''erse  7 
is  a  phrase  which  meets  us  in  slightly  variant  form  in  the 
old  poems :  Judges  5  *,  Dt.  33  ^  Hab.  3  ^  In  wording  it- 
stands  nearest  to  Judges,  using,  however,  Elohim  instead  oi 
Yahaweh,  in  which  it  agrees  v/ith  Habakkuk  as  against  the 
other  two.  Notice  the  great  emphasis  in  the  Psalm  up  to 
this  point  of  the  name  Elohim,  its  frequent  repetition,  to  which 
attention  has  been  called  in  earlier  Psalms  of  this  book.  The 
same  use  meets  us  again  at  the  close  (33-35).  This  brings 
us  to  Sinai,  and  at  this  point  the  sacrifical  motive  is  most 
dramatically  introduced.  As  there  God  appeared  in  cloud  and 
fire,  with  thundering  and  tempest  (Ex.  19),  and  the  people 
fell  prostrate  before  Him ;  so  here  the  selah  indicates  the 
prostration  of  the  worshippers  with  shouting  and  blasts  of 
trumpets.  There  follows  immediately  a  verse  (8)  describing 
the  accompaniments  of  the  theophany  at  Sinai  in  language 
apparently  borrowed  from  Jud.  5  *■  ^  (part  of  which  may  be 
a  later  gloss).  The  following  verses  (9-10)  relate  God's 
miraculous  and  bountiful  feeding  of  Israel,  called,  as  so  often, 
in  Psalm  language  especially,  the  needy,  with  manna  from 
heaven  (rain  of  freezvill  offerings)  and  quails  (Thy  beasts 
that  dzvell  therein).  The  manna  rain  is  described  in  language 
of  double  meaning,  to  connect  with  the  sacrifices  being  of- 
fered. It  is  a  free  gift  from  God,  out  of  the  regular  course 
of  nature,  which  is  ambiguously  expressed  by  the  word  free- 
zvill offerings,  which  the  king  was  even  then  offering.  The 
word  which,  in  despair  of  finding  any  word  of  suitable  sug- 
gestion I  have  rendered  besprinklest,  with  allusion  to  the  word 
rain,  is  the  regular  ritual  term  for  the  heaving  up  or  waving 
before  the  altar  of  the  wave  oflFering,  the  part  of  an  offering 
not  burnt  to  God,  to  consecrate  it,  which  was  then  going 
on  in  the  sacrifice.  The  sacrifice  with  its  accompaniments, 
including  the  feeding  of  the  people  in  the  sacrificial  feast,  was 


256  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

thus  made  to  dramatize  God's  appearance  ai  Sinai  and  His 
wonderful  feeding  of  the  people  in  the  wilderness.  Verse  11 
is  apparently  a  ru'brical  direction.  As  in  Ex.  14,  15,  Judges 
4,  5  and  1  Sam.  18  the  women  sing  songs  of  victory,  so 
here  the  women  are  directed  to  bring  the  good  tidings  of 
Israel's  host  in  its  conquest  of  Canaan.  In  the  rubric  this  is 
represented  apparently  as  the  Lord's  command  or  word,  but 
the  phrase  is  very  puzzling.  Instead  of  one  song  of  triumph 
we  then  have  the  first  lines  or  verses  of  several  hymns  or 
songs  which  the  women  are  directed  to  sing  (12-14),  much 
as  they  are  represented  as  singing  in  1  Sam.  18  ^  where, 
however,  a  verse  of  only  one  hymn  is  given  (possibly  in  both 
cases  there  was  no  more  to  these  hymns  than  the  one  verse  or 
line  which  has  been  preserved,  which  from  modern  experience 
among  Arabs  I  should  say  is  not  improbable).  The  first 
song  (12)  evidently  refers  to  the  victory  of  Barak  over 
Sisera,  where  it  was  a  woman,  Jael,  who  to  the  completer 
ignominy  ,of  the  routed  Canaanites  reaped  the  real  fruit  of 
victory  (Jud.  4,  5).  The  second  song  (13^)  is  a  mock  song 
against  slackers,  Reuben  in  Jud.  5 ",  Issachar  in  Gen.  49 ", 
remaining  among  their  dung  heaps  or  sheep-folds,  or  whatever 
the  word  really  means;  evidently  old.  The  next  song  (13  ^•'=) 
may  be  intended  to  picture  a  victorious  host  gay  with  the 
spoils  of  its  conquered  foes.  When  the  Almighty  scattered 
kings  (14^)  would  be  an  appropriate  title  for  a  song  celebrat- 
ing any  of  a  number  of  the  victories  of  which  Hebrew  tradition 
of  the  conquest  told.  It  uses  an  archaic  name,  Shaddai,  for 
God,  of  uncertain  origin  and  meaning.  What  was  the  ap- 
propriateness of  the  last  song  (14^)  is  not  apparent  from  the 
little  fragment  here  given,  but  it  gives  us  a  local  reference 
which  is  interesting,  for  Zalmon,  as  appears  from  Jud.  9  *', 
was  a  mountain  close  to  the  temple  of  El-Berith,  God  of  the 
Covenant,  at  Shechem.  The  next  stanza  (15-18)  sings  the 
transference  of  power,  and  with  it  the  seat  of  worship,  from 
east  to  west  Jordan.  That  is  not  recorded  in  formal  history, 
but  is  abundantly  attested  by  the  ancient  folk  lore.  So  in 
Gen.  48  Ephraim,  who  is  the  younger  son  of  Joseph,  becomes 
the  elder.  Joseph  inhabited  northern  Gilead,  i.  e.,  Bashan, 
east  of  Jordan,  and  Samaria,  centering  about  Shechem,  west  of 
Jordan.  It  was  the  elder  son,  Manasseh,  who  inhabited 
Bashan;  Ephraim,  the  younger,  occupied  Shechem.  Later 
supremacy  passed   westward   and   Ephraim  became   the   leader. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  257 

So   here  the   many  peaked   hill   country   of   Bashan   is   bidden 
not  to  envy  God's  choice  of  Shechem  for  His  abode.     A  pious 
Judean  glossator,  thinking  of  Jerusalem  as  the  mountain  God 
desired  for  His  abode,  in  the  same  spirit  in  which  the  book 
of  Deuteronomy  was  made  Judean,  added  Yea,  Yahawch  dwell- 
eth  forever.      The   following  line    (17^)    suggests   Num.    10  ^^ 
the  song  to  be  sung  when  the  Ark  rested;  Return,   Yahaweh, 
unto   the   ten   thousands   of  the  thousands   of  Israel,   for  now 
we  are  come  to  the  end  of  God's  victorious  progress;  but  it 
also  suggests  the  blessing  of  Joseph,  Dt.  33  ',  where  the  horns 
of   God  are  the  ten  thousands  of  Ephraim,  and  they  are   the 
thousands    of   Manasseh;    and    indeed    there    is    more    than    a 
mere  kinship  of  words  between  the  two.     Our  Psalm  has  the 
words  which  are  common  to  both,   followed  by  a  combination 
of   letters   which   looks   like   the   Hebrew    word    for  repetition, 
i.   e.,  a  direction  to   repeat  the  line,  and   then  an   explanatory 
gloss  to  the  effect  that  this  line  represents  the  coming  of  the 
Lord    (the   late   word   Adonai)    from   Sinai   to   His   shrine.     I 
suspect  that   originally  we   had   here   either   Israel,   or  Joseph, 
or  Ephraim  and   Manasseh,   for   which   had  to   be   substituted 
something   more   suited   for   use   in   the   Temple   at  Jerusalem. 
On  high  (18)  ;  the  conquest  achieved,  therefore,  on  which  God 
has  marched  and  tented  with  His  people.  He  ascends  into  His 
real,   heavenly   abode,   but   by   the   power   that  emanates    from 
His   shrine   to    defeat   the    foe,    taking   captives    and    extorting 
tribute,   it   is   manifest   that  He   also   inhabits   that  shrine.      It 
is  a  picture   of   a  victorious   period   like  that   of   Jeroboam   II. 
This    much    is    clear :    a    sacrificial    motive    is    here.      In    pro- 
cessionals   more    than    one    sacrifice    might    be    offered    in    the 
progress    of    the   procession.      Here   the    sacrificial    praise    cry, 
selah,  comes  immediately  after  the  word  victories   (salvation), 
and   the   remainder   of    the   stanza   celebrates   the   victories.      I 
would  suggest  that  the  first  sacrifice  was  offered  as  the  pro- 
cession reached  the  foot  of  Gerizim,  the  Temple  mount ;  this,  the 
second  sacrifice,  at  the  entrance  to  the  Temple  precincts.    Verse 
20  is  apparently  a  gloss  explaining  the  use  of  the  particular  form 
for   God   used    in   v.    19;    stating   that   Adonai   was   used    for 
Yahaweh,  and  also  explaining  the  word  victory,  or  salvation; 
but  it  has  been  preserved  in   a   fragmentary   form,  too   often 
the    fate    of    marginal    notes.      The    remainder    of    this    stanza 
(21-23),  taking  up  the  cry  of  victory,  tells  of  God's  victorious 


258  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

prowess  on  His  people's  behalf.  Into  this  is  inserted  a  gloss, 
V.  22,  introduced  by  the  phrase  the  Lord  said,  which  appears 
to  be  a  free  interpretation  of  Dt.  33  ^^.  The  idea  is,  from 
Bashan  on  the  east  to  the  Mediterranean  on  the  west,  all 
shall  be  Israelite  ground.  The  following  stanza  (24-27)  is  a 
very  attractive  picture  of  the  festival  procession  (the  goings 
of  God),  the  temple  or  choir  singers  preceding,  musicians 
(minstrels,  i.  e.,  those  piayinf.^  on  instruments)  following,  with 
a  host  of  women  clashing  and  tinkling  their  castanets  and 
tambourines  as  they  danced  about  the  marchers.  Congregations 
means  the  crowds  gathered  to  take  part  in  such  a  festival. 
From  the  zvcll  or  fountain  of  Israel,  i.  e.,  Jacob's  well,  beneath 
Gerizim  in  front  of  Shechem.  This  indicates  the  simon  pure 
Josephite-Israelites  of  Shechem  and  its  region  (ci.  Dt.  33  ^■^'^")  ; 
but  with  them  are  joined  in  the  worship  on  Gerizim  even  the 
remotest  tribes :  Benjamin  and  Judah  of  the  south,  leading 
processions;  and  Zebulun  and  Naphtali,  from  the  far  north, 
taking  part  in  the  festival.  Then  follows  the  usual  prayer 
for  victory  over  foes  (28-32),  in  this  case  taking  the  form 
of  a  prayer  for  still  further  victories  in  addition  to  those 
already  won.  V.  29  *  is  from  the  time  of  the  adaptation  of 
this  Psalm  to  use  in  Jerusalem.  The  beast  of  the  reeds,  the 
hippopotamus,  is  Egypt;  the  huUs  are  the  Assyrians  (cf.  Is.  10), 
perhaps  because  of  their  bull  symbols  and  images;  the  kine, 
cows  or  calves,  who  accompany  them,  are  the  lesser  nations, 
tributary  to  or  allied  with  them.  That  delight  in  silver  is  a 
reference  to  the  predatory  object  of  the  wars  of  these  peoples, 
the  Assyrians  especially,  evinced  in  the  huge  contributions 
they  exacted  from  conquered  peoples.  The  last  two  verses  of 
this  stanza  display  the  same  universalism  as  the  preceding 
Psalms  of  this  series.  The  idea  of  v.  31  is  more  fully  devel- 
oped in  the  Judean  prophet  Isaiah  (chap.  19),  who  derived 
m.uch  from  the  Israelite  sources  of  Deuteronomy  and  Hosea. 
This  whole  picture  of  Israel's  relation  to  the  outside  world 
fits  in  best  with  the  time  of  Jeroboam  II.  This  stanza  is  fol- 
lowed by  another  selah,  indicating  the  arrival  of  the  procession 
at  its  final  sacrificial  goal,  persumably  the  high  altar  on  top  of 
Mt.  Gerizim,  and,  as  after  the  two  preceding  selahs,  the  follow- 
ing praise  cry  (33,  34)  attaches  itself  directly  in  sense  to  the 
phrase  immediately  preceding,  and  describes  Elohim,  as  Yahaweh 
is  described  in  Ps.  18,  as  the  one  who  rides  on  the  clouds,  whose 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


259 


voice  is  the  tliunder  (cf.  also  Dt.  33-''')-     Verse  35  is  the  usual 
concluding  doxology  and  benediction. 

V.  18  is  cited  in  Eph.  4  ^.  V.  1  is  one  of  the  verses  on  which  the 
British  national  anthem  is  based.  The  same  verse  was  used  as  his 
text  by  the  Metropolitan  of  Moscow,  preaching  in  the  Krem- 
lin, when  Napoleon  retreated.  This  is  also  the  verse  which 
the  Dominican  champions  of  Savonarola  chanted  as  they 
marched  thru  the  streets  of  Florence,  challenging  the  Fran- 
ciscans to  the  ordeal.  Because  of  this  verse  Charlemagne 
made  this  his  Psalm,  and  for  the  same  verse  it  became  the 
battle  hymn  of  Henry  of  Navarre  and  the  Huguenots  in  the 
French  wars  of  religion. 


LXIX 

To  the  chief  Musician  upon  Shoshannim,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


SAVE    me,    O     God;      for    the 
waters   are   come   in   unto   my 
soul. 

2  I  sink  in  deep  mire,  where 
there  is  no  standing :  I  am  come 
into  deep  waters,  where  the  floods 
overflow   me. 

3  I  am  weary  of  my  crying : 
my  throat  is  dried :  mine  eyes  fail 
while   I   wait   for  my  God. 

4  They  that  hate  me  without 
a  cause  are  more  than  the  hairs 
of  mine  head :  they  that  would 
destroy  me,  being  mine  enemies 
wrongfully,  are  mighty:  then  I 
restored  that  which  I  took  not 
away. 

5  O  God,  thou  knowest  my  fool- 
ishness ;  and  my  sins  are  not  hid 
from   thee. 

6  Let  not  them  that  wait  on 
thee,  O  Lord  God  of  hosts,  be 
ashamed  for  my  sake :  let  not 
those  that  seek  thee  be  confounded 
for   my   sake,   O    God   of    Israel. 

7  Because  for  thy  sake  I  have 
borne  reproach ;  shame  hath  cov- 
ered  my   face. 


L     Save    me,    oh    God,     for    the 
waters  are  come  unto  me. 


I    am    sunk    in    the    mire    of 

the  bog,   where   there   is   no 

standing; 
I  am  come  into  water  depths, 

and     the     flood     has     over- 
whelmed me. 
I      am     weary     with     crying, 

parched    is    my    throat, 
Mine    eyes    have    failed    from 

waiting  on  my  God. 
More    than    the    hairs    of    my 

head,      my       foes      without 

cause ; 
More      numerous      than      my 

bones,     mine     enemies     for 

nought. 
What  I  plundered  not  I  must 

restore. 


3. 


4. 


6. 


God,   Thou   knowest  my    folly. 
And    my    trespass    from    Thee 

is   not  hid. 
Be    not    shamed    in    me    Thy 

believers, 
Lord    Yahaweh    of    Hosts! 
Be   not   disgraced  in   me  Thy 

seekers, 
God  of  Israel ! 

Because,     for     Thee     I     have 

borne    reproach. 
Dishonor     hath     covered     my 

face. 


260 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


8  I  am  become  a  stranger  unto 
my  brethren,  and  an  alien  unto 
my    mother's   children. 

9  For  the  zeal  of  thine  house 
hath  eaten  me  up ;  and  the  re- 
proaches of  them  that  reproached 
thee  are   fallen   upon   me. 

10  When  I  wept,  and  chastened 
my  soul  with  fasting,  that  was  to 
my  reproach. 

11  I  made  sackcloth  also  my 
garment;  and  I  became  a  proverb 
to  them. 

12  They  that  sit  in  the  gate 
speak  against  me ;  and  I  zvas  the 
song  of  the  drunkards. 

13  But  as  for  me,  my  prayer 
is  unto  thee,  O  Lord,  in  an  ac- 
ceptable time :  O  God,  in  the  mul- 
titude of  thy  mercy  hear  me,  in 
the   truth   of   thy   salvation. 

14  Deliver  me  out  of  the  mire, 
and  let  me  not  sink:  let  me  be 
delivered  from  them  that  hate  me, 
and  out   of   the   deep   waters. 

15  Let  not  the  waterflood  over- 
flow me,  neither  let  the  deep 
swallow  me  up,  and  let  not  the 
pit  shut  her  mouth  upon  me. 

16  Hear  me,  O  Lord;  for  thy 
lovingkindness  is  good :  turn  unto 
me  according  to  the  multitude  of 
thy   tender   mercies. 

17  And  hide  not  thy  face  from 
thy  servant ;  for  I  am  in  trouble : 
hear  me  speedily. 

18  Draw  nigh  unto  my  soul, 
and  redeem  it :  deliver  me  because 
of    mine    enemies. 

19  Thou  hast  known  my  re- 
proach, and  my  shame,  and  my 
dishonour:  mine  adversaries  are 
all  before  thee. 

20  Reproach  hath  broken  my 
heart;  and  I  am  full  of  heaviness: 
and  I  looked  for  some  to  take 
pity,  but  there  was  none ;  and  for 
comforters,  but  I  found  none. 


8.  I    am    become    a    stranger    to 

my  brethren, 
And  an  alien  to  my  mother's 
sons. 

9.  For  zeal  of  Thine  house  hath 

eaten  me  up, 
And    the    reproaches    of    them 
that   reproach   Thee   are   on 
me. 

10.  When     I     wept     and     fasted 

sore, 
It   became   my    reproach. 

11.  When     I     made    my    clothing 

sackcloth, 
I    became    their    by-word. 

12.  They     that     sit     in     the     gate 

mock  me. 
And    I    am    the    song    of    the 
wine-bibbers. 

13.  And     I — my    prayer    is     unto 

Thee,   O   God, 
In    Thine    abundant    love    an- 
swer    me     with     Thy     true 
salvation. 

14.  Rescue     me     from    the    mire, 

that  I  sink  not ; 
And    from   water    depths  I 

15.  Let     not     water    floods     o'er- 

whelm    me. 
Neither   the   deep    engulf. 
Nor    the    pit    shut    its    mouth 

upon    me. 

16.  Answer    me,    Lord,    for    Thy 

love   is  kind. 
In     Thy     manifold     mercies, 
turn   toward   me, 

17.  And  hide  not  Thy   face   from 

Thy    servant. 
For     that     I     am     in     straits, 
haste   Thee,   answer   me; 

18.  Draw  near  to  my  ransom. 
Redeem    me    because    of    my 

foes. 

19.  Thou    knowest     my     reproach 

and  my  shame  and  my  dis- 
honor; 
Before     Thee     are     all     mine 
opponents. 

20.  Reproach     hath     broken     ray 

heart,  and  I  am  sick ; 
And    I    longed    for    pity,    and 

there   was   none, 
For    comforters,     and     found 

them   not. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


261 


21  They  gave  me  also  gall  for 
my  meat;  and  in  my  thirst  they 
gave  me  vinegar  to  drink. 

22  Let  their  table  become  a 
snare  before  them:  and  that  which 
should  have  been  for  their  tvel- 
fare,    let   it    become    a    trap. 

23  Let  their  eyes  be  darkened, 
that  they  see  not;  and  make  their 
loins   continually   to    shake. 

24  Pour  out  thine  indignation 
upon  them,  and  let  thy  vi^rathful 
anger  take  hold  of  them. 

25  Let  their  habitation  be  deso- 
late; and  let  none  dwell  in  their 
tents. 

26  For  they  persecute  him  whom 
thou  hast  smitten;  and  they  talk 
to  the  grief  of  those  whom  thou 
hast   wounded. 

27  Add  iniquity  unto  their  in- 
iquity: and  let  them  not  come  into 
thy    righteousness. 

28  Let  them  be  blotted  out  of 
the  book  of  the  living,  and  not 
be   written   with   the    righteous. 

29  But  I  am  poor  and  sorrow- 
ful: let  thy  salvation,  O  God,  set 
me    up   on   high. 

30  I  will  praise  the  name  of 
God  with  a  song,  and  will  mag- 
nify   him    with    thanksgiving. 

31  This  also  shall  please  the 
Lord  better  than  an  ox  or  bull- 
ock that  hath  horns  and  hoofs. 

32  The  humble  shall  see  this, 
and  be  glad:  and  your  heart  shall 
live  that  seek  God. 

33  For  the  Lord  heareth  the 
poor,  and  despiseth  not  his  pris- 
oners. 


and     earth 
and    every 
thing  that  moveth  therein. 


34  Let     the    heaven 
praise    him,    the    seas. 


21.     And    they    gave    me    gall    for 
my  food. 
And    in   my   thirst   vinegar    to 
drink. 

Be  their  table  before  them 
a  snare, 

And    their    f  eastings    a    trap  I 

Be  their  eyes  darkened  from 
seeing, 

And  shake  their  loins  contin- 
ually ! 

Pour  upon  them  Thine  in- 
dignation. 

And  let  Thy  hot  wrath  over- 
take them  1 

Be  their  town  a  desolation. 

In  their  houses  be  there  no 
dweller! 

For  whom  Thou  hast  smit- 
ten they  persecuted, 

And  add  to  the  pain  of  Thy 
wounded. 

Add    guilt    to    their   guilt, 

And  let  them  not  come  into 
Thy    righteousness. 

Be  they  blotted  from  the 
book  of  life. 

And  not  written  with  the 
righteous ! 

29.  And    I— poor    and    in    pain, 
Thy    salvation,    oh     God,     lift 

me    up  I 

30.  Let    me     praise     God's     name 

with    a    song, 
And       magnify       Him       with 
thanksgiving. 

31.  (And     it    is    better    than     an 

ox   to   the   Lord, 
Than    a    bullock    with    horns 
and  hoofs.) 

32.  Behold,  ye  poor,  and  be  glad; 
Seekers  of  God  be  your  heart 

revived ! 

33.  For     that     the     Lord     heark- 

eneth  to  the  needy. 
And    hath    not    despised    His 
captives. 

34.  Let    the    heaven    praise    Him, 

and   earth, 
The    seas    and    all    that    move 
dwell  therein. 


22. 
23. 

24. 

25. 
26. 

27. 
28. 


262 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


35  For  God  will  save  Zion,  and 
will  build  the  cities  of  Judah :  that 
they  may  dwell  there,  and  have 
it  in  possession. 

36  The  seed  also  of  his  servants 
shall  inherit  it :  and  they  that  love 
his  name  shall  dwell  therein. 


35.  For  God  delivereth   Zion, 
And     buildeth     the     cities     of 

Judah, 
That    they    may    dwell    there 
and   possess   it, 

36.  And  the  seed  of  His  servants 

inherit    it, 
And  they  that  love  His  name 
d\vell    therein. 


For  a  Solemn  Fast 

This  is  a  penitential,  apparently  originally  a  liturgy  for  a 
solemn  day  or  fast  in  the  distressful  times  of  Israel,  perhaps 
in  the  period  following  Jeroboam  11,  when  the  nation  was 
tottering  to  its  fall.  It  follows  the  usual  line  of  such  peniten- 
tials,  and  uses  many  of  the  phras.s  and  ideas  which  are  the 
common  stock  of  that  class  of  Psalms.  For  this  reason  it 
remembles  in  various  parts  such  Judean  Psalms  as  6,  22, 
31,  35,  38,  40.  There  are  a  few  later  glosses,  and  after  the 
Exile  there  was  added  a  triumphant  stanza  in  the  spirit  and 
with  the  language  of  Deutero-Isaiah  and  the  Prayer  of  Moses 
(Ps.  90-99). 

V.  1  constitutes  the  caption  of  the  Psalm.  Vv.  2-3,  fol- 
lowing the  motive  of  the  caption,  first  describe  the  invasions 
which  have  overrun  the  land  as  water  floods  in  the  valleys 
by  which  invasions  Israel  is  overwhelmed,  and  then  tell  of  the 
apparently  futile  supplication  for  God's  help. 

In  a  penitential  from  Asburbanipal's  library  a  suffering 
righteous,  apparently  a  king,  makes  a  similar  plaint  of  being 
deserted  by  God,  and,  indeed,  like  Job,  he  seems  to  make 
God  responsible  for  his  calamities,  which  are  described  and 
lamented  through  many  verses,  the  whole  ending,  however,  with 
words  of  hope : 

"I  know  a  time  when  my  tears  shall  have  an  end, 
When  among  the  guardian  spirits  thy  divinity  is  honored." 

In  the  last  verse  of  this  stanza  (4),  leaving  the  figure  of  the 
flood,  the  enemies  are  mentioned,  who,  as  regularly,  are  de- 
scribed to  God  as  those  who  wantonly  and  under  false  pre- 
tences attack  and  plunder  innocent  Israel.  Vv.  5-6  are  the 
formal  confession  of  sins,  which  was  a  regular  part  of  such 
penitentials,  and  an  appeal  to  God  in  His  own  interest,  that 
those  who  believe  in  Him  may  not  be  shamed  and  disgraced. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  263 

to  succor  Israel.    Lord  Yahazveh  of  Hosts  in  v.  6  is  suspicious. 
It   occurs   elsewhere   only   in  6820.      But  although   sin   is   con- 
fessed, what  is  meant  by  that  confession  is   only  the   formal, 
unwitting  transgressions  and  the  like.     The  suppliant  has  been 
faithful  to  Elohim,  and  it  is  because  he  is  God's  people  that 
he  suffers  attack   from  the  worshippers  of   other  gods.     This 
is  set  forth  in  the  next  stanza   (7-9).     For  the  figure  of  utter 
desolation  in  v.  8,  cf.  Ps.  31  ^^  Job  19 '^     The  picture  of  good 
and  pious  Israel  contained  in  vv.   10-12  is  like  that  contained 
in  Ps.  35  ^^     Mock   (12)  is  sing,  that  is  sing  taunt  songs;  and 
the   word   rendered   song  meant   literally   stringed   instruments. 
Those  that  sit  in  the  gate,  a  familiar  picture  of   oriental  life, 
sing  mock  songs  at  him  to  the  accompaniment  of  their  banjos. 
As    in    all    these    Psalms    dealing    with    the    calamities    of    the 
nation,  the  figures  give  us  most  vivid  pictures  of  the  everyday 
life  of  the  people.     Vv.   13-15  are  the  first  And  I,  a  petition, 
which  takes  up  the  figure  of  the  mire  and  flood  with  which 
the   Psalm  began.      Yahazveh  at  a   time  of  favor    (13^)    seems 
to  be  a  gloss  from  Is.  49 «  (cf.  also  Is.  58  ^  61  ^)  ;  and  that  I 
be  rescued   from   my    haters    (14^),   another    gloss   to    explain 
the  figure  of  the  flood  and  mire.     Both  appear  to  disturb  the 
rhythm,  and  the  latter  to   spoil  the  poetical   sense  effect  also. 
Vv.    16-18    may    be    a    Judean    insertion    when    this    liturgy 
was  adopted  for  use  in  the  Jerusalem  Temple.     It  is  a  very 
direct  and   forceful  prayer.     Then  we  have  a  stanza    (19-21) 
describing   in   language   which   reminds    one   both   of    Job   and 
Jeremiah  the  pitiful  condition  of  suppliant  Israel,  shamed  and 
dishonored    by    their    enemies,    heart    broken,    sick,    unpitied, 
and  without  comforters;  their  very  food  and  drink  bitter  and 
loathsome.     The  word  rendered  gall  evidently  means  some  vile 
or  bitter   solid   substance,   equivalent   for   food  to   vinegar   for 
drink.     This  verse  gives  the  suggestion  for  the  opening  verse 
of  the  following  curse  (22-28),  cursing  the  enemy  in  his  food, 
and  his  sacrificial  feasts,  the  so-called  peace  offerings.     While 
containing  familiar  ideas   this  curse  is  the  most  elaborate  we 
have  yet  met.     Such  curses  approved   themselves   even  to   the 
most  spiritual  of   the   religious  leaders   of  the  day.     Jeremiah 
was  a  past  master  in  their  use  and  composition.     Such  Psalms 
as  35   and  69,  with   both  of   which  he   appears   to  have   been 
familiar,  gave  him  material  on  which  he  improved.     The  final 
word  in  these  curses  was  reached  in  Ps.   109,  which  has   Ps. 
35  and  69  and  Jeremiah  behind   it.     It  must  be   added   that 


264  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

the  curse  is  still  a  part  of  Jewish  orthodox  rituals  of  various 
kinds.  Christianity  also  has  not  been  guiltless  in  the  matter, 
a  natural  result  of  the  use  of  such  curses  as  Scripture  for 
didactic  or  liturgical  purposes.  The  words  translated  town 
and  houses  (25)  come  down  from  an  early  period,  and  meant 
originally  encampment  and  tent.  V.  26  reminds  one  invol- 
untarily of  Is.  53  *.  Following  the  curse  comes  the  second  And 
1  (29),  in  which  the  suppliant  king  or  people,  described  after  old 
use  as  poor  and  in  pain,  calls  for  deliverance.  This  is  followed 
immediately  by  the  praise  cry,  combined  with  assurance  of  de- 
liverance (30-32),  before  which  or  in  connection  with  which  we 
should  expect  the  sacrifice.  Verse  31,  which  is  in  thought  in  line 
with  Ps.  41,  50,  51,  emphasizing  the  praise  cry  as  better 
than  sacrifice,  appears  to  be  a  Judean  gloss,  inserted  during 
the  Exile,  when  the  Psalms  had  to  be  sung  without  liturgical 
accompaniments ;  but  its  presence  at  this  point  suggests  that  in 
its  Temple  use  this  Psalm  was  an-  accompaniment  of  sacrifice. 
The  praise  song  has  certain  affinities  with  Ps.  22  '^*'". 

A  psalm  to  Shamash,  the  sun-god,  from  Ashurbanipal's 
library,  shows  possibly  a  similar  emphasis  on  prayer  and 
praise  as  over  against  sacrifice  among  the  Assyrians : 

"Daily  bring  to  thy  god 
Offering  and  prayer,  a  fitting  incense. 
Toward  thy  god  have  a  pious  heart ; 
That  it  is  which  comes  unto  god. 
Prayer  and  entreaty  and  humble  prostration 

Shalt  thou  each  morning  give  to  him,  and  he  will  give  thee  rich  abundance, 
And  exceedingly  with  god's  help  shalt  thou  find  prosperity." 

Verses  33-36  are  a  later  addition,  apparently  of  the  early 
post-exilian  period,  and  have,  as  pointed  out  above,  close 
affinities  with  the  Psalms  of  that  period  and  with  Deutero- 
Isaiah.  They  sing  of  the  deliverance  from  the  Babylonian 
captivity  and  the  restoration  of  the  Temple  and  the  cities  of 
Judah    (cf.   Ps.   96",  98  ^   Is.   44  =^  49^2). 

This  Psalm  is  one  of  those  most  frequently  cited  in  the 
New  Testament.  V.  4  is  used  in  John  15^^;  v.  9  in  John  2^^ 
and  Rom..  15  ^  v.  21  in  John  19  ^s.  29,  Matt.  27  ^*- ""^  Luke 
23  ««  (cf.  Mk.  15  23) ;  V.  22  in  Rom.  m-  ";  v.  25  in  Acts  1  ="> 
(cf.  Matt.  3328,  Luke  13=*=).  Because  especially  of  v.  21 
this  Psalm  was  made  the  Good  Friday  Psalm  in  the  Anglican 
use. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


265 


LXX,  See  XL 
LXXI 


IN   thee,    O    Lord,   do    I   put   my 
trust :    let   me   never   be   put   to 
confusion. 

2  Deliver  me  in  thy  righteous- 
ness, and  cause  me  to  escape :  in- 
cline thine  ear  unto  me,  and  save 
me, 

3  Be  thou  my  strong  habitation, 
whereunto  I  may  continually  re- 
sort :  thou  hast  given  command- 
ment to  save  me;  for  thou  art 
my    rock   and   my    fortress. 

4  Deliver  me,  O  my  God,  out 
of  the  hand  of  the  wicked,  out  of 
the  hand  of  the  unrighteous  and 
cruel   man. 

5  For  thou  art  my  hope,  O  Lord 
God  :  thou  art  my  trust  from  my 
youth. 

6  By  thee  have  I  been  holden 
up  from  the  womb :  thou  art  he 
that  took  me  out  of  my  mother's 
bowels :  my  praise  shall  be  con- 
tinually  of    thee. 

7  I  am  as  a  wonder  unto  many; 
but   thou   art   my   strong   refuge. 

8  Let  my  mouth  be  filled  zvith 
thy  praise  and  with  thy  honour 
all   the   day. 

9  Cast  me  not  off  in  the  time 
of  old  age ;  forsake  me  not  when 
my  strength  faileth. 

10  For  mine  enemies  speak 
against  me;  and  they  that  lay 
wait  for  my  soul  take  counsel  to- 
gether, 

11  Saying,  God  hath  forsaken 
him :  persecute  and  take  him ;  for 
there  is  none  to  deliver  him. 

12  O  God,  be  not  far  from  me : 
O  my  God,  make  haste  for  my 
help. 

13  Let  them  be  confounded  and 
consumed  that  are  adversaries  to 
my  soul ;  let  them  be  covered 
with  reproach  and  dishonor  that 
seek  my  hurt. 

14  But  I  will  hope  continually, 
and  will  yet  praise  thee  more 
and  more. 


1.  In  Thee,  Lord,  have  I  trusted, 
Let  me  not  be  shamed  forever, 

2.  In  Thy  righteousness  deliver 

me. 
Incline  to  me  Thine  ear, 
Speedily  rescue  me, 

3.  Be  to  me  a  strong  rock, 

A  house  of  defence  to  save 

me ; 
For  my  crag  and  my  defence 

art  Thou. 

4.  My  GoD,   rescue  me   from   ihe 

hand  of  the  godless. 
From  the  palm  of  the  lawless 
and  violent, 

5.  For  Thou  art  my  hope,  O  Lord 

Yahaweh, 
My  trust  from  my  youth ; 

6.  On  Thee  have  I  leaned   from 

the  womb, 

From    my   mother's   bowels 
Thou  drewest  me. 

In  Thee  is  my  praise  continu- 
ally. 

7.  I  have  been  as  a  sign  to  many. 
And  Thou  art  my  strong  hope. 

8.  My   mouth  is    full  of   Thy 

praise. 
Thy  beauty  all  the  day. 

9.  Cast   me    not   off   in   the   time 

of   mine   age. 
When  my  strength  faileth  for- 
sake me  not ; 

10.  For  mine  enemies  have  spoken 

of  me, 
They   that   watch   out   for  me 
counsel  together, 

11.  Saying,  God  hath  forsaken  him, 
Hunt  and  take  him,  for  there 

is  none  to  deliver, 

12.  God,  be  not  far  from  me. 
My  God,  haste  to  my  help. 

13.  Be  they  shamed  and  consumed 

that  play  the  Satan  to  me ; 
Wrapped  in  disgrace  and  dis- 
honor that  seek  my  hurt. 

14.  And  I — continually  I  wait. 
And  add  unto  all  Thy  praise, 


266 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


15  My  mouth  shall  shew  forth 
thy  righteousness  and  thy  salva- 
tion all  the  day;  for  I  know  not 
the  numbers   thereof. 

16  I  will  go  in  the  strength  of 
the  Lord  God  :  I  will  make  men- 
tion of  thy  righteousness,  even  of 
thine    only. 

17  O  God,  thou  hast  taught  me 
from  my  youth :  and  hitherto  have 
I   declared   thy  wondrous   works. 

18  Now  also  when  I  am  old 
and  grayheaded,  O  God,  forsake 
me  not ;  until  I  have  shewed  thy 
strength  unto  this  generation,  and 
thy  power  to  every  one  that  is  to 
come. 

19  Thy  righteousness  also,  O 
God,  is  very  high,  who  hast  done 
great  things :  O  God,  who  is  like 
unto   thee ! 

20  Thou,  which  hast  shewed  mc 
great  and  sore  troubles,  shalt 
quicken  me  again,  and  shalt  bring 
me  up  again  from  the  depths  ol: 
the  earth. 

21  Thou  shalt  increase  my  great- 
ness, and  comfort  me  on  every 
side. 

22  I  will  also  praise  thee  with 
the  psaltery,  even  thy  truth,  O  my 
God ;  unto  thee  will  I  sing  witli 
the  harp,  O  thou  Holy  One  of 
Israel. 

23  My  lips  shall  greatly  rejoice 
when  I  sing  unto  thee ;  and  my 
soul,  which  thou  hast  redeemed. 

24  My  tongue  also  shall  talk  of 
thy  righteousness  all  the  day 
long:  for  they  are  confounded, 
for  they  are  brought  unto  shame, 
that    seek    my   hurt. 


15.     My  mouth  narrateth  Thy  right- 
eousness,   all    the    day    Thy 
deliverances ; 
For  I  know  not  their  number. 
!6.     I    enter    in    Thy   power,    Lord 
Yahaweh, 
I  make  memorial  of  Thy  right- 
eousness only. 

17.  O   God,  Thou  hast   taught  me 

from  my  youth  until  now, 
I    will    declare   Thy   wondrous 
works. 

18.  Even  to  old  age  and  grey  hair, 

God,  forsake  me  not. 
Until     I     declare    Thy     might 

to  this  age, 
Thy   power   to    all    that   come 

after. 

19.  And    Thy    righteousness,    God, 

is  unto  heaven. 
Thou   who   hast   done   these 

great  things ; 
God,  who  is  like  Thee? 

20.  When  Thou  hast  caused  me  to 

see  straits  many  and  evil. 
Thou  quickenest  me  again. 
And  from  earth's  abyss  bring- 

est  me  up  again. 

21.  Thou   increasest   my  greatness 

and  comfortest  me  again. 

22.  I    also    will    praise    Thy    truth 

with  the  lyre. 
My  God,  I  will  make  melody  to 

Thee  with   the  harp, 
Holy   one   of   Israel. 

23.  Shout,    my    lips,    for    I    would 

make  melody  to  Thee, 
Even   I,  whom  Thou  hast  re- 
deemed. 

24.  My  tongue  also  shall  utter  Thy 

righteousness. 
For    shamed    and    confounded 
are  they  that  seek  my  hurt. 


Redemption 

Hitherto  the  Psalms  of  this  collection  have  been  designated 
as  of  David.  This  and  the  succeeding  Psalm  are  not  so 
designated.  The  preceding  Psalms  were  of  Israelite  origin, 
this  Psalm,  although  to  some  extent  showing  the  influence  of 
Israelite  tradition,  especially  in  the  use  of  Elohim,  is  mani- 
festly  Judean    in    origin.      It   uses   also   the   compound    divine 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  267 

name  Adonai  Yahaweh,  Lord  (or  my  Lord)  Yahaweh.  Where 
this  combination  occurs,  following  the  use  of  the  English 
Bible,  I  have  given  in  the  translation  the  divine  name  itself 
instead  of  Lord,  to  avoid  the  awkwardness  of  the  combmation 
Lord  Lord).  We  have  met  this  combination  in  the  order 
Yahaweh  Adonai  in  68,  69.  It  occurs,  although  rarely,  in 
the  prophets  from  Amos  onward,  and  in  the  legal  and  his- 
torical books,  but  under  suspicion  of  later  handling  of  the 
texts.  It  becomes  common  in  Deutero-Isaiah.  Poetically  and 
in  Hturgical  organization  this  Psalm  is  inferior;  spiritually  it 
is  on  a  high  level,  and  presents  a  beautiful  picture  of  unwaver- 
ing faith;  nor  is  that  faith  marred  by  cruel  maledictions. 
It  takes  as  its  caption  the  first  verses  of  the  old  Judean 
Psalm  31,  a  liturgy  for  deliverance  from  the  invasion  of 
foreign  foes.  Vv.  5,  6  are  drawn  from  22  ^°'  " ;  13  from 
35*-2«;  15  from  40  ^  18  from  22  ^"■";  24  from  ?>S^\  These 
are  not  actual  citations,  but  the  dependence  is  plain  in  each 
case.  In  a  number  of  other  cases  one  feels  that  other  Psalm 
passages  were,  so  to  speak,  in  the  back  of  the  composer's 
mind,  although  there  is  no  certainty  of  actual  dependence.  The 
Psalm  represents  a  period  of  national  feebleness,  old  age  and 
senility,  out  of  which,  however,  there  will  surely  be  deliver- 
ance. There  is  no  word  of  martial  prowess  in  the  hope 
here  expressed  of  revival  and  redemption.  It  suggests  the 
faith  and  the  spirit  of  those  exiles  who,  like  Ezekiel,  believed 
in  the  restoration  to  life  of  the  nation,  and  who  found  in  the 
old  history,  prophecies  and  liturgies  of  their  people  evidence 
for  that  faith.  It  does  not  display  quite  the  spirit  nor  the 
certainty  of  the  dawn  of  the  new  era  which  characterizes  the 
Deutero-Isaiah  and  kindred  literature  at  the  beginning  of  the 
post-exilian  period,  and  the  prayers  against  the  heathen  op- 
pressors show  that  the  time  of  the  deliverance  had  not  yet 
arrived. 

The  best  commentary  will  be  a  statement  of  the  theme  of 
the  Psalm.  It  is  a  penitential,  and  follows  loosely  the  ordi- 
nary scheme  of  penitentials,  with  the  alternating  petitions  and 
appeals,  pictures  of  calamity  of  the  suflferer,  and  assurances 
of  his  faith,  but  without  the  usual  confession  of  sin.  and  with 
the  curse  almost  eliminated.  Basing  on  an  ancient  plea, 
acceptable  to  God,  for  deliverance  from  foes,  containing  those 
honorific    names    which    were    in    themselves    an    assurance    of 


268  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

deliverance  to  the  ear  of  the  faithful  (1-3),^  he  begins  his  peti- 
tion for  deliverance  from  present  distress  at  the  hands  of  the 
heathen  by  reminding  God  from  the  old  liturgies  and  prophecies 
of  His  relation  to  Israel  from  his  birth,  and  comforting  his 
own  faith  and  hope  thereby.  Surely  he  has  been  a  sign,  or 
wonder  of  God  to  the  nations,  and  in  that  faith  he  praises 
and  bewonders  God  always  (4-8).  But  now,  in  his  old 
age  (9-13),  he  needs  and  confidently  expects  a  deliverance 
from  the  same  heathen  injuries  and  oppressions  from  which 
God  delivered  his  ancestors,  as  told  in  their  sacred  songs. 
This  contains  the  curse  in  very  mild  form.  He,  too  (14-17), 
the  usual  And  I  of  the  penitentials),  confidently  expects  the 
same  deliverance,  that  he  may  add  another  to  the  record  of 
God's  praises,  because  of  the  numberless  deliverances  which  he  re- 
joices to  narrate.  In  place  of  the  usual  sacrificial  verse  or 
verses  we  have  the  assurance  (16)  of  entrance  into  the  Temple 
and  oflfering  of  sacrifice;  but  in  such  language  as  suggests  a 
mere  following  of  form,  for  in  the  Captivity  no  sacrifice  could 
actually  be  offered.  Power,  or  deeds  of  prowess,  a  unique 
expression.  Enter  in  Thy  power,  seems  to  have  its  synonym 
in  make  memorial  of  Thy  righteousness.  This  is  followed 
(17-21)  by  the  usual  tribute  of  confident  assurance.  What 
God  did  in  his  youth  He  will  continue  to  do  in  his  old  age, 
the  wonder  working  God  to  whom  none  is  like,  and  even 
greater  things.  His  very  calamities  are  part  of  God's  gracious 
plan  of  a  new  and  greater  life  and  of  greater  nearness  to 
God,  who  will  raise  him  out  of  the  abyss  of  death  (cf.  Ez.  Z7). 
Then  follows  the  final  praise  song  (22-24),  with  the  mention 
of  musical  instruments,  as  in  Ps.  33,  90-99,  and  more  pecu- 
liarly in  the  latest  post-exilian  Psalms  (145-150),  ending  with 
a  brief  prayer  for  or  assertion  of  the  punishment  of  the 
heathen  foes  and  oppressors.  Holy  One  of  Israel  (22)  is 
a  phrase  much  used  in  the  book  of  Isaiah.  Its  sense  in  this 
passage  is  that  in  which  it  is  used  in  the  post-exilic  portions 
of  that  book  (40-66),  known  as  Deutero-Isaiah.^ 


1  There  are  slight  variations  from  the  text  of  Ps.  31,  but,  as  these 
are  apparently  not  intentional,  I  have  followed  in  the  translation  the 
text  of  Ps.  31  1-3. 

2  For  the  history  and  meaning  of  this  title  cf.  Peters,  Religion  of  the 
Hebrews,  chap.  Holiness. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


269 


In  Hebrew  this  Psalm  is  absolutely  without  heading.  In 
the  Greek  it  is  headed  "To  (of)  David;  of  the  sons  of  Jonadab 
and  the  first  captives";  referring  it  to  the  beginning  of  the 
Captivity. 

LXXII 

A  Psalm  for  Solomon. 


GIVE  the  king  thy  judgments,  O 
God,  and  thy  righteousness  un- 
to the  king's  son. 

2  He  shall  judge  thy  people  with 
righteousness,  and  thy  poor  with 
judgment. 

3  The  mountains  shall  bring 
peace  to  the  people,  and  the  little 
hills,    by    righteousness. 

4  He  shall  judge  the  poor  of  the 
people,  he  shall  save  the  children 
of  the  needy,  and  shall  break  in 
pieces  the  oppressor. 

5  They  shall  fear  thee  as  long  as 
the  sun  and  moon  endure,  through- 
out   all   generations. 

6  He  shall  come  down  like  rain 
upon  the  mown  grass:  as  showers 
that  water  the  earth. 

7  In  his  days  shall  the  righteous 
flourish ;  and  abundance  of  peace 
so  long  as  the  moon  endureth. 

8  He  shall  have  dominion  also 
from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the 
river  unto  the  ends   of   the   earth. 

9  They  that  dwell  in  the  wilder- 
ness shall  bow  before  him;  and 
his  enemies  shall  lick  the  dust. 

10  The  kings  of  Tarshish  and 
of  the  isles  shall  bring  presents: 
the  kings  of  Sheba  and  Seba  shall 
offer  gifts. 

11  Yea,  all  kings  shall  fall  down 
before  him :  all  nations  shall  serve 
him. 

12  For  he  shall  deliver  the  needy 
when  he  crieth ;  the  poor  also,  and 
him   that  hath   no   helper. 

13  He  shall  spare  the  poor  and 
needy,  and  shall  save  the  souls  of 
the   needy. 


1.  God,  give  to  the  king  Thy  jus- 

tice. 
And  Thy  righteousness  to  the 
king's  son ; 

2.  Let  him  judge  Thy   folk  with 

right,  .       . 

And    Thine   afflicted   with   jus- 
tice. 

3.  Let  the  mountains  bear  peace 

for   Thy   people. 
And     the    hills     righteousness. 

4.  Let  him  judge   the  afflicted  of 

the  people. 
Save   the   sons   of   the   needy, 
and  crush  the  oppressor. 

5.  Let  him  prolong  his  days  with 

the    sun. 
And     before   the     moon,     for 
long   generations. 

6.  Let  him  descend  like  rain  on 

the    meadow. 
Like    showers   that   water   the 
earth. 

7.  Let  righteousness  bloom  in  his 

days, 
And     peace     abound     till    the 
moon  be  no   more. 

8.  Let  him  rule  from  sea  to  sea, 
And  from  the  river  to  earth's 

limits. 

9.  Before  him  let  hostiles  crouch, 
His   enemies   lick   the   dust; 

10.  Kings    of    Tarshish    and    the 

isles  pay  tribute, 
Kings     of     Sheba     and     Seba 
bring    gifts; 

11.  All  kings  bow  before  him. 
All  nations  do  him   service. 

12.  For  he  rescueth  the  needy  that 

crieth, 
And  the   afflicted   that  hath  no 
helper. 

13.  He  pitieth  the  poor  and  needy, 
And  the  lives  of  the  needy  he 

saveth ; 


270 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


14  He  shall  redeem  their  soul 
from  deceit  and  violence :  and  pre- 
cious shall  their  blood  be  in  his 
sight. 

15  And  he  shall  live,  and  to  him 
shall    be    given    of    the    gold    of 

Sheba :  prayer  also  shall  be  made 
for  him  continually ;  and  daily  shall 
he  be  praised. 

16  There  shall  be  a  handful  of 
com  in  the  earth  upon  the  top  of 
the  mountains ;  the  fruit  thereof 
shall  shake  like  Lebanon :  and  they 
of  the  city  shall  flourish  like  grass 
of  the  earth. 

17  His  name  shall  endure  for 
ever:  his  name  shall  be  continued 
as  long  as  the  sun :  and  men  shall 
be  blessed  in  him :  all  nations  shall 
call  him  blessed. 


14.  From    harm    and    violence    he 

ransometh  them, 
And  dear  is  their  blood  in  his 
sight. 

15.  May  he  live,  and  Sheba's  gold 

be  given  him ; 
And  prayer  be  offered  for  him 

ever; 
May    men    bless    him    all    the 

day. 

16.  Be  grain  abundant  in  the  land, 
On     the     mountain     tops     its 

fruit  shake. 
While    cities    bloom    like    the 
grass  of  earth. 

17.  His  name  last  forever. 
Before  the  sun  abide; 

That    men    may    bless     them- 
selves   in   him. 
All  nations  call  him  happy. 


The  Messiah 

Like  the  preceding  this  Psalm  was  not  assigned  to  David, 
neither  has  it  any  historical,  musical  or  liturgical  heading,  such 
as  characterize  the  Psalms  of  this  book.  The  heading  Psalm 
of  Solomon  may  be  due  to  the  king  and  king's  son  in  v.  1  ;  but 
the  Psalmist  had  before  him  in  this  composition  the  traditional 
picture  of  Solomon's  reign.  It  is  not  a  liturgy  for  a  sacrifice, 
but  an  ode,  like  Ps.  2,  to  depict  the  glories  of  the  kingdom  of 
the  ideal  king  of  David's  line,  the  Messiah  or  Christ  that  was 
to  be,  and  appears  to  have  been  designed  for  the  conclusion 
of  the  collection  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  as  Ps.  2,  a  much 
more  militant  treatment  of  the  same  theme,  was  for  the 
commencement  of  that  volume.  It  reminds  one  of  such 
Psalms  to  divine  kings  as  have  come  down  to  us  from 
ancient  Babylonian  sources  for  the  celebration  of  royal  birth 
feasts  and  the  like,  and  may  have  been  influenced  by  the  exist- 
ence of  such  worship  and  such  compositions,  with  their  similar 
pictures  of  the  king  administering  justice,  caring  for  the 
needy,  bringing  prosperity  and  peace  to  his  people  and  much 
more;  but  all  these  elements,  it  must  be  added,  already  existed 
in  Hebrew  literature,  and  are  constantly  referred  to  from  an 
early  period  onward  as  the  marks  of  a  good  king.  The  pic- 
ture of  the  Messianic  rule,  which  is  specifically  Hebrew,  is  very 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  271 

ancient  in  its  origin,  going  back  nearly  if  not  quite  to  the 
reign  of  David,  but  its  working  out  in  this  Psalm  in  certain 
details  brings  us  into  close  touch  with  Deutero-Isaiah,  giving 
as  the  presumable  date  of  the  Psalm  and  of  the  formal  closing, 
or  binding  up,  as  it  were,  of  the  Psalms  of  David  (2-41,  51-72) 
viz.  the  early  post-exilic  period. 

It  opens  with  the  picture  of  the  king  administering  justice 
and  righteousness  to  the  afflicted,  i.e..  Israel,  establishing  peace, 
and  crushing  the  oppressor  (1-4).  As  stated  above  v.  1  evi- 
dently has  the  Davidic  dynasty  in  mind,  and  the  covenant 
with  David,  and  specifically  the  tradition  of  the  peaceful  and 
prosperous  reign  of  King  David's  son,  Solomon.  The  royal 
virtues  of  judgment  and  righteousness  are  stressed  throughout 
Hebrew  literature.  As  qualities  of  Israel  they  are  stressed 
in  Job  (cf.  29^*),  as  qualities  of  the  Messianic  king  in  Is. 
9  %  11,  32  ^'  ^^'  ".  Commencing  with  the  prayer  for  long  life, 
we  have  a  section  petitioning  for  material  prosperity  and  in- 
ward peace  in  the  land,  through  the  action  of  the  king,  in 
language  which  might  almost  have  been  addressed  to  their 
deified  kings  by  the  old  Babylonians  (5-7).  V.  6  resembles 
Dt.  32  ^,  and  is  perhaps  dependent  upon  it.  Part  of  this  passage 
resembles  Ps.  89  ^^"  ^■^,  probably  because  both  derive  from  the 
same  source,  the  Davidic  covenant  (2  Sam.  7^^).  Then  follows 
(8-11)  the  picture  of  the  extent  of  the  Messianic  kingdom 
of  Solomon  (1  K.  4^^'^'*).  The  belief  behind  this  was  wide- 
spread in  Israel,  and  plays  a  great  part  in  its  literature  and 
its  aspirations  from  the  earliest  period  onward  (cf.  Ex.  23  ", 
Ps.  80",  Ps.  89  3- ^-i^-",  Is.  2,  Mic.  4,  Jer.  ZZ).  In  the  later 
literature  it  received  an  enormous  development.  V.  8  is 
cited  by  a  late  prophet,  Zech.  9  ^°.  Tarshish  and  Sheha  (and 
perhaps  also  Seha)  of  v.  10  are  derived  from  the  story  of 
Solomon  (1  K.  10),  but  the  juxtaposition  of  these  with  the 
isles,  and  the  general  phraseology  bring  this  passage  into  con- 
nection with  Deutero-Isaiah  (cf.  Is.  42  "•  ^%  43 »,  45",  49", 
49^'",  51*,  60®).  The  word  which  I  have  rendered  hostiles 
appears  nowhere  else.  It  seems  to  mean  the  wild  tribes  of 
the  desert.  The  river  is  the  Euphrates ;  Tarshish,  the  Phoeni- 
cian colonies  in  Spain  and  in  general ;  isles,  the  coasts  and 
shores  of  the  Mediterranean;  Sheha  and  Seha,  the  rich  lands 
of  Arabia  Felix;  sea  to  sea,  from  the  Persian  Gulf  to  the 
Mediterranean.  The  river  was  the  limit  of  Solomon's  king- 
dom;  the  king  of  the  new   Israel   is  to  reign  beyond  that  to 


272 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


earth's  limits  (the  ends  of  the  earth),  a  favorite  Bible  phrase. 
Vv.  12-14,  going  backward,  resume  the  theme  of  the  first 
section,  justice  and  righteousness,  developing  it  more  fully 
(cf.  Job  29).  The  next  section  (15,  16),  commencing  like 
the  second  section  with  a  prayer  for  long  life,  proceeds  to 
develop  the  same  theme  as  that  section,  material  prosperity. 
Grain  shall  abound,  and  on  the  mountains  the  olives  and 
other  trees  yield  their  fruits  (its  fruits,  i.  e.,  of  the  land), 
and  the  rebuilt  towns  and  cities  shall  spring  up  like  the  grass. 
Was  it  because  of  the  local  conditions  where  this  Psalm  was 
composed  that  no  mention  is  made  of  flocks  and  herds?  Moun- 
tain tops  (16)  suggested  to  some  priest  Lebanon,  and  he  wrote 
on  the  margin  like  Lebanon,  which  afterwards  crept  into  the 
text.  The  Psalm  ends  with  a  very  lovely  blessing  of  the  king, 
with  which  compare  Ps.  89  ^®,  and  the  Abrahamic  blessing, 
Gen.  12  ',  18 ",  22  ^^.  The  name  of  the  Divinity  occurs  only 
once  in  this  Psalm,  at  the  very  beginning,  as  Elohim,  following 
the  general  use  of  this  collection. 

This  has  been  a  favorite  Psalm  in  the  Christian  Church. 
In  the  Gregorian  use  it  was  appointed  for  Christmas;  in  the 
Sarum  and  Roman  uses  for  Trinity  Sunday,  and  in  the  Romj^n 
use  also  for  Epiphany;  which  is  hkewise  its  use  in  the 
American  Episcopal  Church. 

DOXOLOGY 


Immediately  after  this  Psalm  follows  the  doxology  of  the 
book,  printed  in  our  Bibles  as  part  of  the  Psalm  (vv.  18,  19), 
longer  than  that  of  the  first  book,  using  the  two  aniens,  and 
with  the  double  name  for  the  Divinity  characteristic  of 
Deuteronomy,  confirming  the  suggestions  made  with  regard 
to  the  origin  of  this  Psalter. 


18  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God,  the 
God  of  Israel,  who  only  doeth 
wondrous  things. 

19  And  blessed  he  his  glorious 
name  for  ever:  and  let  the  whole 
earth  be  filled  with  his  glory. 
Amen,   and   Amen. 

20  The  prayers  of  David  the  son 
of  Jesse  are  ended. 


Blessed  be  the  Lord  God, 

God  of  Israel, 

Who  only  doeth  wonders ; 

And  blessed  be  His  glorious  name 

forever. 
And  be  the  whole  world  filled  with 

His  glory. 

Amen,  and  Amen. 


Then  follows  the  colophon  (v.  20),  giving  the  title: 
The  prayers  of  David  the  son  of  Jesse  are  ended. 


Lecture  IV.  The  Psalms  of  Dan  and  Bethel — History  of 
Psalter  of  Sons  of  Korah — Liturgy  for  Tabernacles — Mar- 
riage Hymn — City  of  God — The  Riddle  of  Life — History 
of  Asaph  Psalter — Why  Smoketh  Thy  Wrath — ^Vintage 
Song — To  Teach  the  Children — Lamentation  for  the 
Temple — Passover — The  Curse  of  Ashur — A  Supplementary 
Collection — A  Temple  Processional — Two  Fragments — The 
Covenant  of  David. 

BOOK  HI 

Psalms  of  the  Sons  of  Korah 

The  small  collection  of  Psalms,  designated  "of  the  sons  of 
Korah,"  42-49,  derives  from  the  temple  of  Dan,  the  priest- 
hood of  which,  belonging  to  the  Korahite  family  of  Levites, 
claimed  descent  from  Moses  (cf.  for  further  details  Intro- 
duction). This  collection  constitutes  an  entity  in  poetical 
form,  in  vocabulary  and  in  thought,  having  its  closest  affin- 
ities with  the  Psalms  of  Asaph  (50,  73-83).  As  poetry  it  ranks 
above  any  other  part  of  the  Psalter. 

We  know  little  of  the  history  of  the  part  of  the  country 
where  this  temple  was  situated.  Dan,  according  to  Hebrew 
tradition,  was  Jacob's  son  by  a  concubine,  Bilhah,  Rachel's 
maid  (Gen.  30^^),  i.  e.  Dan  was  a  native  Canaanite  clan 
or  tribe  adopted  or  incorporated  into  the  Rachelite  group  of 
tribes.  The  original  tribal  home  was  westward  of  Benjamin 
in  the  foothills  of  the  Judean  mountains,  on  the  edge  of  the 
coastal  plain,  centering  about  Ain  Shemesh,  Fountain  of  the 
Sun  God.  The  Sun  God,  be  it  noted,  was  also  entitled  Judge, 
of  Dan.  Its  tribal  hero  was  Sampson,  Sunman,  about 
whom  cluster  the  stories  of  the  struggles  of  Dan  against  the  Philis- 
tine invaders  (Jud.  13-16).  Unable  to  withstand  the  latter 
they  finally  migrated  to  the  sources  of  the  Jordan,  immediately 
adjacent  to  the  kindred  tribe  of  Naphtali  (Gen.  30''^).  Here 
they  conquered  and  occupied  Laish  and  its  territory,  thus  be- 


1  In  the  Hebrew  text  Book  III  comprises  Ps.  73-89,  but,  as  pointed  out 
in  the  Introduction,  this  was  due  to  an  early  dislocation. 

273 


274  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

coming  the  most  northerly  outpost  of  Israel,  having  on  the 
way  appropriated  the  worship  and  the  priesthood  and  para- 
phernalia of  an  Ephraimite  clan  to  take  the  place  of  their 
ancient  shrine  of  Shemesh  (Judges  17-18). 

When  Israel  broke  away  from  Judah,  under  the  leadership 
of  Ephraim,  Jeroboam  made  the  sanctuaries  at  Dan  and  Bethel, 
the  northern  and  southern  limits  of  his  kingdom,  royal  temples, 
to  counteract  the  influence  of  the  Judean  royal  temple  at 
Jerusalem,  and  set  up  there  the  two  bulls,  the  ancient  Ephraim- 
ite symbol  of  the  divine  presence  (1  K.  12  ^^"2^).  Both  of 
these  sanctuaries  were  natural  holy  places,  handed  down  as 
such  from  religion  to  religion.  Dan  was  situated  at  the  foot 
of  Hermon,  about  five  hundred  feet  above  the  plain  of 
Merom,  at  the  point  where  with  a  great  roaring  the  Jordan 
springs  full  born  from  the  ground.  (There  are  two  other 
main  sources  close  at  hand,  one  at  Banias,  the  ancient  Caesarea 
Philippi,  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Hermon,  a  couple  of  miles  away; 
and  another,  the  Hasbani  source,  some  miles  further  to  the 
north,  also  at  the  base  of  Hermon ;  but  neither  of  these 
compares  for  importance  or  impressiveness  with  the  central 
source,  with  which  they  unite  somewhat  below  the  fountain). 
This  fountain  lies  at  a  small  hill  known  to  this  day  as  Tel  Kadi, 
Hill  of  the  Judge,  which  is  the  meaning  of  Dan,  and,  as  already 
pointed  out,  a  designation  of  Shemesh.  Any  fountain  was  re- 
garded as  an  expression  of  the  divine  life  or  presence,  and 
such  a  remarkable  fountain,  a  river  rushing  out  of  the  ground, 
was  naturally  a  holy  place  par  excellence.  To  appreciate  the 
hymns  of  this  collection  one  mnsl  understand  the  situation  of 
this  temple,  for  they  are  full  of  allusions  to  its  natural  con- 
ditions and  phenomena :  a  mighty  fountain  which  comes  out 
of  the  ground  by  the  little  hiil  with  a  roar  audible  for  a  long 
distance,  while  from  other  minor  exits  issue  floods  at  times 
inundating  the  surrounding  plain,  giving  the  impression  of  an 
uncertain,  quaking  surface  with  a  great  deep  beneath ;  and 
close  at  hand  the  mighty  mass  of  sacred  snow-topped  Hermon 
towering  10,000  feet  toward  heaven. 

According  to  Hebrew  tradition  Dan,  throughout  its  his- 
tory, was  a  turbulent,  warlike  tribe,  establishing  and  main- 
taining itself  by  violence  (cf.,  also  Gen.  49  ^«-'«,  Dt.  33"). 
From  its  position  it  must  naturally  have  borne  the  brunt  of 
much  of  the  fighting  with  the  Syrians  (1  K.  15  2°),  and  early 
in   the   story   of    the   Israelite    Kingdom    it   was    conquered   by 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


275 


Benhadad  of  Damascus.  It  presumably  shared  in  the  pros- 
perity of  the  first  half  of  the  eighth  century  under  Jeroboam 
II;  but  in  the  ensuing  Assyrian  wars,  as  we  learn  from 
2  K.  1520,  all  this  country  was  annexed  by  Tiglath  Pileser,  and 
its  population  deported  in  734  B.  C.  (cf.  also  Is.  9^).  Pre- 
sumably Dan  ceased  to  be  an  Israelite  temple  at  this  time. 
Some  of  its  priests  with  their  traditions  and  liturgies  must 
have  migrated  in  the  last  troublous  times  to  Shechem  or  Bethel, 
and,  with  the  fall  of  Samaria  a  few  years  later,  to  Jerusalem, 
where  ultimately  these  hymns  found  their  way  into  the  Psalter 
of  the  Jerusalem  Temple.  Those  which  are  contained  in  this 
collection  seem  to  have  been  redacted  from  a  literary  stand- 
point, which  has  given  them  their  peculiar  quality  as  poetry. 


XLII,  XLIII 

To  the  chief  Musician,  Maschil,  for  the  sons  of  Korah. 


AS    the    hart    panteth    after    the 
-water   brooks,    so    panteth    my 
soul  after  thee,  O  God. 

2  My  soul  thirsteth  for  God, 
for  the  living  God :  when  shall  I 
come  and  appear  before  God? 

3  My  tears  have  been  my  meat 
day  and  night,  while  they  continu- 
ally say  unto  me,  Where  is  thy 
God? 

4  When  I  remember  these  things, 
I  pour  out  my  soul  in  me:  for  I 
had  gone  with  the  multitude,  I 
went  with  them  to  the  house  of 
God,  with  the  voice  of  joy  and 
praise,  with  a  multitude  that  kept 
holy-day. 

5  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my 
soul?  and  why  art  thou  disquiet- 
ed in  me?  hope  thou  in  God:  for 
I  shall  yet  praise  him  for  the  help 
of   his   countenance. 

6  O  God,  my  soul  is  cast  down 
within  me :  therefore  will  I  re- 
member thee  from  the  land  of 
Jordan,  and  of  the  Hermonites, 
from  the  hill  Mizar. 


1.  As  longs  the  hind   for  water- 

brooks. 
So    longs    my    soul    for    Thee, 
O  God, 

2.  My    soul    is    athirst    for    God, 

the  living  God  ; 
When    shall    I    come    and    see 
the  face  of  God? 

3.  My   tears  have   been   my  food 

by    day    and    night, 
While  men   daily   said  to  me: 
Where   is   thy   God? 

4.  Let    me     make     oblation     and 

pour    libation    for   my    soul ; 
For  I  pass  the  huts,  and  lead 

the    dance    to    the    house    of 

God, 
With     noise     of     shouts     and 

praises — a  multitude  making 

pilgrimage. 

5.  Refrain — Why    art    thou    cast 

down,  my  soul,  and  dis- 
quieted  within   me? 

Hope  thou  in  God,  whom  I 
will  ever  praise. 

My  present  helper,  and  my 
God. 

6.  My  soul   is   cast   down,   there- 

fore    I     make     oblation     to 
Thee, 
From  Jordan's  land  and  Her- 
mon,  from  the  Hill  of  Mizar. 


276 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


7  Deep  calleth  unto  deep  at  the 
noise  of  thy  waterspouts:  all  thy 
waves  and  thy  billows  are  gone 
over  me. 

8  Yet  the  Lord  will  command  his 
lovmg  kindness  in  the  daytime,  and 
in  the  night  his  song  shall  he 
with  me,  and  my  prayer  unto  the 
God  of  my  life. 

9  I  will  say  unto  God  my  rock, 
Why  hast  thou  forgotten  me? 
why  go  I  mourning  because  of  the 
oppression   of    the   enemy? 

10  As  with  a  sword  in  my  bones, 
mine  enemies  reproach  me;  while 
they  say  daily  unto  me,  Where  is 
thy   God? 

11  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O 
my  soul?  and  why  art  thou  dis- 
quieted within  me?  hope  thou  in 
God :  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him, 
who  %s  the  health  of  my  counten- 
ance, and  my  God. 


JUDGE  me,  O  God,  and  plead 
^  my  cause  against  an  ungodly 
nation :  O  deliver  me  from  the  de- 
ceitful and  unjust  man. 

2  For  thou  art  the  God  of  my 
strength:  why  dost  thou  cast  me 
off?  why  go  I  mourning  because  of 
the  oppression  of  the  enemy? 

3  O  send  out  thy  light  and  thy 
truth:  let  them  lead  me;  let  them 
bring  me  unto  thy  holy  hill,  and 
to  thy  tabernacles. 

4  Then  will  I  go  unto  the  altar 
of  God,  unto  God  my  exceeding 
joy:  yea,  upon  the  harp  will  I  praise 
thee,  O  God  my  God. 


5  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my 
soul?  and  why  art  thou  disquieted 
within  me?  hope  in  God :  for  I  shall 
yet  praise  him,  who  is  the  health 
of  my  countenance  and  my  God. 


7.    Deep  calleth  unto  deep  to  the 
thunder      of      Thy      water- 
courses. 
All    Thy    waves    and    billows 
have  passed  over  me. 
9.     Let  me   say  to  God  my  rock: 
Why    hast    Thou    forgotten 
me? 
Why   go   I   mourning    for   the 
violence  of  the  enemy? 

10.  With  a  breaking  of  my  bones 

my  foes  reproached  me; 
With    their    saying    to    me    all 
the  day:    Where  is  thy  God? 

11.  Refrain—Why    art    thou    cast 

down,     my     soul,     and     dis- 
quieted within   me? 
Hope  thou  in  God,  whom  I  will 
ever   praise. 

My    present    helper,    and    my 
God. 


1.  Judge  me,  God,  plead  Thou  my 

plea  against  a  godless  people ; 
From  men  of  deceit  and  vio- 
lence Thou  rescuest  me. 

2.  For  Thou  art  God  my  strong- 

hold,   why    hast    Thou    cast 
me    off? 
Why   go    I   mourning   for   the 
violence  of  the  foe? 

3.  Send  forth  Thy  Light  and  Thy 

truth ;   that  they   may  guide 
me. 
And  bring  me  to  Thy  holy  hill, 
and  to  thy  dwelling  place. 

4.  So  may  I  come  to  the  altar  of 

God,  to  God  my  chiefest  joy, 
And  sing  Thy  praise  upon  the 
harp,  O  God,  my  God. 

5.  Refrain—Why    art    thou    cast 

down,  my  soul,  and  dis- 
quieted  within   me? 

Hope  thou  in  God,  whom  I  will 
ever  praise, 

My  present  helper,  and  my 
God. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  211 

A  Liturgy  for  Tabcrtiacles 

Psalms  42  and  43  constitute  one  Psalm,  and,  although  num- 
bered as  two,  have  but  one  heading  in  the  Hebrew.  This 
Psalm  consists  of  three  strophes  of  approximately  the  same 
length,  provided  with  an  identical  refrain.  It  was  a  liturgy 
for  the  great  feast  of  Ingathering  (Ex.  22^")  or  Tabernacles 
(Dt.  16^^'^"),  when  the  people  made  pilgrimage  to  some 
shrine  and  dwelt  in  booths  or  tabernacles  through  the  week  of 
the  feast's  duration  (Lev.  23*^).  It  was  the  culminating  fes- 
tival of  the  year  and  a  time  of  great  hilarity  and  merry 
making  (Jud.  21  "'",  Sam.  1). 

The  Psalm  begins  with  the  cry  of  longing  for  the  God  of  the 
pilgrim  (1,  2),  who  in  this  pilgrimage  sees  succor  and  strength 
against  his  adversaries   (3).     Soul  is  the  emphatic  self,  and  I 
have  commonly  so  translated  it,  but  in  this  Psalm  for  poetic 
reasons    it    has    seemed    better    to    follow    our    English    Bible 
translation.     Living  God   (2),  their  God  who  in  the   fountain 
shows  himself  a  source  of  life  as  over  against  the  dead  gods 
of   the  heathen.      See  the  face   of  God    (2)    was  vocalized  by 
later  Jewish  scholars   appear  before   God,  so  as  to  avoid  the 
primitive    anthropomorphism.      Any    translation    of    v.    4    is 
conjectural.     It   appears   to   represent   the   pilgrims   coming   to 
make  oblation  and  pour  libation  for  a  blessing   from  God  as 
they  pass  through  the  temporary  huts  or  tabernacles  to  enter 
the   sacred    enclosure,    dancing    in   procession    with    songs    and 
shoutings,    the    noise    of    a    great    throng    of    pilgrims.      The 
refrain    (5)    is   the   cry   of   confidence   of   the   people,   pressed 
hard  by   foes,   that   from   the  presence   of   God   in   His    feast 
they  shall  derive  the  strength  to  resist  and  conquer.    The  second 
stanza,    taking    up    the    thought    of    the    refrain    and    of    the 
oblations,  or  memorial    (6)   of   the  first  stanza    (4)    brings  us 
to    the    fountain    of    the    Jordan    by    the    little    hill     (Mizar) 
of    the    shrine,    under   the    shadow    of    the    sacred    masses    of 
great    Hermon    (literally    Hermans,    6),    with    the    roaring    of 
the  water  rushing  out  through  its  subterranean  channels,  the 
deep   below   crying  out   to  the   deep   above,   pouring   forth   in 
waves   and   billows    in   which   the   pilgrims   bathe    (7),   calling 
to  God,  their  rock  as  solid  as  Hermon  (9),  to  remember  them 
and   protect  them   from   the  violence   of   the    foes   who   boast 
that   they   will    crush   them    (10).      The   third   stanza    (Psalm 


278 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


43),  appealing  for  a  divine  decision  (judge  mc  is  give  judg- 
ment for  vie),  against  the  fierce  and  treacherous  heathen  foes, 
with  a  play  on  the  meaning  of  Dan  (judge,  1),  attaches  itself 
to  the  second  stanza  (43",  42'-'),  as  that  had  attached  itself  to 
the  first,  and  brings  the  procession  to  its  goal,  the  holy  hill 
above  the  fountain,  with  its  sanctuary  (3),  and  the  sacrifice 
at  the  altar  there  situated,  accompanied  with  the  sacrificial  out- 
burst of  praise  and  thanksgiving  (4).  This  closing  stanza  carries 
the  usual  assurance  of  favorable  answer  to  their  prayers  and 
sacrifices  (1). 

This  Psalm  seems  to  show  marks  of  long  use,  growth  and 
above  all  careful  poetical  development,  but  the  only  redac- 
tional  feature  which  he  who  runs  can  read  is  in  stanza  2 
(42^).  This  verse  breaks  the  metre  and  the  thought  connec- 
tion, and  uses  Yahaivch  (Lord)  instead  of  the  Elohim  or  El 
(living  God  2)  of  the  remainder  of  the  poem.  It  was  evidently 
a  sweet  and  pious  thought,  lovingly  written  on  the  margin  by 
some   later  owner   or  custodian   of   these   Psalms,   which  crept 

Daily  the  Lord  showeth  His  love. 
And  nightly  His  song  is  with  me ; 
A  prayer  to  the  God  of  my  life. 


XLIV 

To  the  chief  Musician  for  the  sons  of  Korah,   Maschil. 


WE  have  heard  with  our  ears, 
O  God,  our  fathers  have  told 
us,  what  work  thou  didst  in  their 
days,  in  the  times  of  old. 


2  How  thou  didst  drive  out  the 
heathen  with  thy  hand,  and  plantedst 
them ;  hozv  thou  didst  afflict  the 
people,  and  cast  them  out. 


3  For  they  got  not  the  land  in 
possession  by  their  own  sword, 
neither  did  their  own  arm  save 
them :  but  thy  right  hand,  and  thine 
arm,  and  the  light  of  thy  counten- 
ance, because  thou  hadst  a  favour 
unto  them. 


4  Thou    art    my    King,    O    God : 
command  deliverances  for  Jacob. 


1.  Oh   God,   we  have  heard   with 

our  ears, 
Our  fathers  have  told  us. 
The  deeds  Thou  didst  in  their 

days. 
In  days  of  yore. 

2.  Thou  with  Thy  hand  didst  cast 

out  nations  and  plant  them  in. 
Afflict  the  heathen,  and  spread 
them  abroad. 

3.  For    not    by    their    sword    gat 

they   the   land. 
Nor   did   their  arm   win   them 

victory; 
But  Thy  right  hand,  and  Thine 

arm,    and    the    light   of    Thy 

face, 
Because    Thou   hadst    pleasure 

in   them. 

4.  It  was  Thou,  my  king  and  my 

God, 
That     commandedst     the     vic- 
tories  of  Jacob. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


279 


5  Through  thee  will  we  push 
down  our  enemies :  through  thy 
name  will  we  tread  them  under  that 
rise  up  against  us. 

6  For  I  will  not  trust  in  my  bow, 
neither  shall  my  sword  save  me. 

7  But  thou  hast  saved  us  from  our 
enemies,  and  hast  put  them  to 
shame  that  hated  us. 

8  In  God  we  boast  all  the  day 
long,  and  praise  thy  name  for  ever. 
Selah. 

9  But  thou  hast  cast  off,  and  put 
us  to  shame;  and  goest  not  forth 
with  our  armies. 

10  Thou  makest  us  to  turn  back 
from  the  enemy :  and  they  which 
hate  us  spoil  for  themselves. 

11  Thou  hast  given  us  like  sheep 
appointed  for  meat ;  and  hast 
scattered  us  among  the  heathen. 

12  Thou  sellest  thy  people  for 
nought,  and  dost  not  increase  thy 
wealth   by    their    price. 

13  Thou  makest  us  a  reproach  to 
our  neighbours,  a  scorn  and  a  deri- 
sion to  them  that  are  round  about 
us. 

14  Thou  makest  us  a  byword 
among  the  heathen,  a  shaking  of  the 
head  among  the  people. 

15  My  confusion  is  continually  be- 
fore me,  and  the  shame  of  my  face 
hath  covered  me, 

16  For  the  voice  of  him  that  re- 
proacheth  and  blasphemeth ;  by  rea 
son  of  the  enemy  and  avenger. 

17  All  this  is  come  upon  us;  yet 
have  we  not  forgotten  thee,  neither 
have  we  dealt  falsely  in  thy  cove- 
nant. 

18  Our  heart  is  not  turned  back, 
neither  have  our  steps  declined  from 
thy  way ; 

19  Though  thou  hast  sore  broken 
us  in  the  place  of  dragons,  and 
covered    us    with    the    shadow    of 


7. 


8. 


Through  Thee  we  thrust  down 

our  foes. 
In  Thy  name  we  tread     down 

our  assailants. 
For  not  in  my  bow  do  I  trust, 
Nor  doth   my   sword   give   me 

victory. 
For    Thou    gavest    us    victory 

over  our  foes. 
And   didst   put  our   haters   to 

shame. 
In  God  we  have  ever  boasted, 
And     Thy     name     we     thank 

alway.  Selah. 


9.     But  Thou  hast  cast  off  and  dis- 
graced us. 
And  goest  not  forth  with  our 
hosts. 

10.  Thou  turnest  us  back  from  the 

foe, 
And  have  our  haters  spoiled  us. 

11.  Thou  makest  us  like  sheep  for 

eating. 
And    among    the    nations    hast 
scattered  us. 

12.  Thou    sellest    Thy    people    for 

nought ; 
Nor  hast  profited  by  their  price. 

13.  Thou  makest  us  a  reproach  to 

our  neighbors, 
A    scoff    and    scorn    to    those 
round  about  us. 

14.  Thou  makest  us  a  by-word  of 

the  nations ; 
A    laughing-stock    among    the 
peoples. 

15.  (Aly  disgrace  is  ever  before  me. 
And   my   shamefacedness   hath 

covered  me, 

16.  For  the  voice  of  the  slanderer 

and   reviler, 
For  the  sight  of  the  enemy  and 
avenger.) 

17.  All   this   befell    us,   yet   forgat 

we  not  Thee, 
Neither  belied  we  Thy  covenant. 

18.  Our    heart    hath    not     turned 

back. 
Nor   our   steps    swerved    from 
Thy   path. 

19.  For  Thou  hast  crushed  us  in 

the  place  of  the  dragon, 
And    covered    us    with    deep 
shadow. 


280 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


20  If  we  have  forgotten  the  name 
of  our  God,  or  stretched  out  our 
hands  to  a  strange  god ; 

21  Shall  not  God  search  this  out? 
for  he  knoweth  the  secrets  of  the 
heart. 

22  Yea,  for  thy  sake  are  we 
killed  all  the  day  long;  we  are 
counted  as  sheep  for  the  slaughter. 

23  Awake,  why  sleepest  thou,  O 
Lord  ?  arise,  cast  us  not  off  for  ever. 

24  Wherefore  hidest  thou  thy 
face,  and  forgettest  our  aflliction 
and  our  oppression? 

25  For  our  soul  is  bowed  down  to 
the  dust;  our  belly  cleaveth  unto 
the  earth. 

26  Arise  for  our  help,  and  redeem 
us  for  thy  mercies*  sake. 


22.  For  because   of   Thee   we   are 

slain  all  the  day; 
Are  counted  as  sheep  for  the 
slaughter. 

23.  Awake,     whv     sleepest     Thou, 

Lord  ? 
Arouse  Thee,  nor  spurn  us  for 
ever! 

24.  Why  hidest  Thou  Thy  face, 
Forgettest     our     distress     and 

trouble? 

25.  For    we    are    bowed    down    to 

the  dust; 
Our     belly     cleaveth     to     the 
ground. 

26.  Arise,  and  be  our  help. 

And  redeem  us  for  Thy  love. 


For  Thy  Love 

This  Psalm  is  clearly  composite.  The  first  part,  which 
I  suppose  to  have  been  the  original  hymn  of  the  temple  of 
Dan,  or  a  part  of  it,  is  a  glorification  of  God  for  victories 
past  and  present,  in  a  manner  common  in  Hebrew  literature. 
It  commences  with  the  conquest,  stanza  1  (1-3),  and  comes 
down  to  the  Psalmist's  own  time,  stanza  2  (4-8).  In  verse  2 
the  language  of  the  last  clause  is  ambiguous.  The  verb  trans- 
lated spread  may  be  used  in  a  favorable  sense,  of  spreading 
them,  the  Israelites,  over  the  land,  which  is  suggested  by  the 
parallelism  with  the  first  half  of  the  verse;  or  it  may  be  used 
in  an  unfavorable  sense,  of  casting  them,  the  heathen,  out, 
which  is  perhaps  more  consonant  with  the  ordinary  use  of  the 
verb.  This  verse  reminds  one  inevitably  of  the  method  in 
which  the  tribe  of  Dan  became  possessed  of  its  territory.  In 
the  last  line  of  the  second  stanza  (3)  the  name  is  used  as  the 
equivalent  of  the  person,  representing  that  high  valuation  of 
the  name  to  which  attention  has  been  called  in  other  Psalms. 
This  verse  appears  to  suggest  a  sacrifice;  a  suggestion  con- 
firmed perhaps  by  the  succeeding  selah.  The  original  Psalm 
seems  to  have  been  a  liturgy  or  part  of  a  liturgy  to  be  used 
in  connection  with  thanksgiving   for  victory. 

To  this  was  added,  perhaps  after  the  conquest  of  Galilee 
and  the  deportation  of  its  inhabitants  by  Tiglath  Pileser  in 
734,    perhaps   later,    after    the    final    conquest   of    Samaria    by 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  281 

Sargon  in  721,  a  lament  over  the  miserable  condition  of  the 
ruined  people,  a  scoff  and  scorn  of  all  peoples,  suffering  calam- 
ity in  spite  of  and  even  because  of  their  faithful  service  to 
God  (9-22).  The  first  verse  of  this  section  (9)  is  largely 
identical  with  60  ^°.  Verse  13  is  the  same  as  79  \  The  closing 
words  of  16  are  the  closing  words  of  8^.  Verses  15  and  22 
contain  phrases  familiar  in  Jeremiah  {shamefacedness  and 
sheep  for  the  slaughter).  The  occurrence  of  so  many  striking 
lines  and  phrases  found  elsewhere  suggests  dependence  of  this 
section  of  the  Psalm  as  such  on  other  sources  as  late  as  the 
sixth  century,  or  insertions  of  these  verses  at  a  date  much 
later  than  its  composition.  The  latter  seems  to  me  to  be 
true  of  the  verses  (15,  16)  containing  the  phrase  enemy  and 
avenger  (Ps.  8^),  which  break  the  thought  and  use  the  singular 
instead  of  the  plural  used  elsewhere,  and  which  I  have  there- 
fore bracketed.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  this  section  of  the 
Psalm  referring  originally  to  the  Israelite  captivity,  continued  in 
use  on  into  the  Judean  captivity,  to  which  it  seemed  equally 
appropriate.  Two  verses  (20  and  21)  appear  to  have  been 
inserted  after  the  Captivity  as  a  correction  of  the  self-justi- 
fication of  the  Psalm: 

Have  we  forgotten  the  name  of  our  God, 
And  spread  out  our  hands  to  strange  gods, 
Doth  not  God  search  it  out; 
For  He  knoweth  the  secrets  of  the  heart? 

very  much  as  the  Elihu  speeches  were  inserted  in  the  book  of 
Job,  as  a  corrective  of  Job's  doctrine.  They  are  truly  post- 
exilian  in  form  and  thought,  except  for  the  use  of  Elohim, 
an  intrusion  in  the  poem,  the  verses  preceding  and  succeeding 
making  one  thought  whole  which  is  thus  broken  in  two. 
Those  lines  describe  and  bewail  the  utter  destruction  of  the 
people  thrust  down  into  the  pit  (19),  massacred  like  a  flock 
of  sheep  (22).  In  verse  19  by  a  common  error,  the  substitu- 
tion of  an  m  for  an  n,  our  present  Hebrew  text  has  jackals 
instead  of  the  original  dragon.  The  latter  was  the  mythological 
monster  lurking  in  the  great  deep  beneath  the  earth,  and  the 
verse  means,  therefore,  that  God  has  crushed  them  down  into 
the  underworld,  the  land  of  darkness  (19),  where  is  also  the 
abode  of  the  slain  (22). 

At    a    still    later    date,    apparently,    was    added    the    rousing 
sacrificial  call  to  the  Lord  to  bestir  himself  on  behalf  of  His 


282 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


afflicted  people  (23-26),  using  the  phraseology  of  the  old 
sacrificial  liturgies,  awake,  arise,  but  the  late  name  for  the 
Divinity,  Lord  instead  of  Lord  or  God,  the  same  combination 
of  new  and  old  which  we  find  in  the  latest  Psalms. 

We  have  thus  in  this  Psalm  a  sacrificial  liturgy,  gradually 
developed  through  several  centuries,  a  forceful  appeal  from 
a  people  once  powerful  and  victorious,  now  scattered  and 
without  a  true  national  life,  to  Gods  who  once  gave  them 
victory  and  a  national  existence,  to  again  exhibit  His  power 
and  His  love  by  restoring  them  to  their  estate.  It  closes  with 
the  same  touching  appeal  which  we  find  in  one  of  the  most 
ancient  Psalms,  for  Thy  love  (6*). 


XLV 

For    the    chief    musician;    Set    to    Lilies.      Of    the    sons    of    Korah,    Maschil.    A    song 

of  loves. 


MY  heart  is  inditing  a  good  mat- 
ter:  I  speak  of  the  things 
which  I  have  made  touching  the 
King :  my  tongue  is  the  pen  of  a 
ready  writer. 

2  Thou  art  fairer  than  the 
children  of  men:  grace  is  poured 
into  thy  lips :  therefore  God  hath 
blessed  thee  for  ever. 

3  Gird  thy  sword  upon  thy  thigh, 
O  most  Mighty,  with  thy  glory  and 
thy  majesty. 

4  And  in  thy  majesty  ride  pros- 
perously, because  of  truth  and  meek- 
ness and  righteousness ;  and  thy 
right  hand  shall  teach  thee  terrible 
things. 

5  Thine  arrows  are  sharp  in  the 
heart  of  the  King's  enemies ;  where- 
by the  people  fall  under  thee. 

6  Thy  throne,  O  God,  is  for  ever 
and  ever :  the  sceptre  of  thy  king- 
dom is  a  right  sceptre. 

7  Thou  lovest  righteousness,  and 
hatest  wickedness :  therefore  God, 
thy  God,  hath  anointed  thee  with 
the  oil  of  gladness  above  thy  fel- 
lows. 


1.  (Dedication.) — My  heart  is 
astir  with  good   words ; 

I  address  my  work  to  a  king; 

My  tongue  a  ready  writer's 
pen! 

2.  (To  the  Bridegroom.) — Fairest 

art  thou  of  the  sons  of  men ; 
Grace  is  shed  by  thy  lips ; 
Therefore  God  bless  thee  fore- 

ever ! 

3.  (Warrior.) — Gird     thy     sword 

on   thy  thigh, 
Oh  warrior,  thy  praise  and  thy 
glory. 

4.  Span  the  bow,  ride  amain, 
Because     of     truth     and     for 

right's  sake. 
And    thy    right    hand    achieve 

dread  deeds  I 
Sharp  thine  arrows 

5.  (People  fall  before  thee) 

In  the  heart  of  the  king's  foes. 

6.  (King.) — Thy   throne,   God,   is 

everlasting; 
A  sceptre  of  equity  the  sceptre 
of   thy  kingdom. 

7.  Thou  lovedst  right  and  hatedst 

wrong ; 

Therefore  God,  thy  God, 
anointed  thee 

With  oil  of  joy  above  thy  fel- 
lows. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


283 


8  All  thy  garments  smell  of 
myrrh,  and  aloes,  and  cassia,  out 
of  the  ivory  palaces,  whereby  they 
have  made  thee  glad. 

9  Kings'  daughters  were  among 
thy  honourable  women :  upon  thy 
right  hand  did  stand  the  queen  in 
gold  of  Ophir. 

10  Hearken,  O  daughter,  and  con- 
sider, and  incline  thine  ear;  forget 
also  thine  own  people,  and  thy 
father's  house ; 

11  So  shall  the  King  greatly  de- 
sire thy  beauty :  for  he  is  thy  Lord ; 
and  worship  thou  him. 

12  And  the  daughter  of  Tyre 
shall  be  there  with  a  gift ;  even  the 
rich  among  the  people  shall  entreat 
thy  favour. 

13  The  King's  daughter  is  all 
glorious  within :  her  clothing  is  of 
wrought  gold. 

14  She  shall  be  brought  unto  the 
King  in  raiment  of  needlework:  the 
virgins  her  companions  that  follow 
her  shall  be  brought  unto  thee. 

15  With  gladness  and  rejoicing 
shall  they  be  brought:  they  shall 
enter  into  the  King's  palace. 

16  Instead  of  thy  fathers  shall 
be  thy  children,  whom  thou  mayest 
make  princes  in  all  the  earth. 

17  I  will  make  thy  name  to  be 
remembered  in  all  generations : 
therefore  shall  the  people  praise 
thee  for  ever  and  ever. 


8. 


10. 


11. 


12. 


13. 


14. 


15. 


16. 


17. 


{The  Harem.) — Myrrh  and 
aloes,  cassia  all  thy  cloth- 
ing; 

From  ivory  palaces  music  re- 
joiced thee. 

King's  daughters  among  thy 
favorites; 

There  standeth  a  queen  at  thy 
right 

In  gold  of  Ophir. 

{To  the  Bride.) — Hear,  daugh- 
ter, and  see,  and  bow  thine 
ear ; 

And  forget  thy  people,  and  thy 
father's   house. 

T'is  the  king  that  desireth  thy 
beauty, 

For  he  is  thy  lord; 

Bow  thee  before  him. 

{Bridal  Array.) — The  daugh- 
ter of  Tyre  with  a  gift  is 
before  thee, 

The  rich  of  the  people  sue  for 
thy  grace. 

All  glorious  the  king's 
daughter  within. 

Of  thread  of  gold  her  cloth- 
ing. 

{Wedding.) — On  broidered 
cloth  she  is  led  to  the  king, 

Virgins,  her  comrades,  attend- 
ing her. 

Brought  unto  thee. 

With  gladness  and  joy  are  they 
brought. 

They  enter  the  king's  palace. 

{Offspring.) — Instead    of     thy 

fathers  be  thy  sons, 
Whom   make   thou   princes   in 

all  the  landl 

{Wish  for  Immortality.) — I 
would  celebrate  thy  name 
to  all  ages ; 

Whereby  the  people  may  praise 
thee  forever. 


A  Marriage  Hymn 

The  Psalm  is  clearly  what  its  title  calls  it,  an  epithalamium, 
or  song  of  loves,  like  the  songs  contained  in  the  Song  of 
Songs.      It  may   have    been    originally   composed    for    a    royal 


284  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

marriage,  and  many  efforts  have  been  made  to  determine  the 
king  for  whose  marriage  it  was  composed.  It  must  be  re- 
membered, however,  that  for  the  nonce  each  bridegroom  was 
a  king  and  each  bride  a  queen,  as  in  the  Song  of  Songs,  and 
as  in  the  Palestinian  marriage  songs  of  today.  Even  if,  there- 
fore, it  was  originally  composed  for  some  specific  royal  mar- 
riage it  adapted  itself  to  any  marriage;  and  hence  its  place 
in  this  collection.  All  that  we  can  safely  say  is  that  its  al- 
lusions and  references  connect  themselves  with  the  royalty  of 
Samaria,  not  Judah,  as  we  might  expect  in  a  Psalm  from 
Dan.  Certain  peculiarities  of  language  also  seem  to  indicate 
a  northern  origin.  At  a  later  date  it  was  interpreted  mysti- 
cally, like  the  Song  of  Songs,  of  the  divine  bride,  and  hence 
was  interpreted  by  Christians  as  a  Messianic  hymn.  As  such 
it  became  in  the  Western  Church  a  Christmas  Psalm.  In  the 
Gregorian  use  it  is  assigned  to  the  Annunciation. 

The  dedication  (1)  and  the  conclusion  (17)  appear  to  be 
due  to  literary  redaction,  and  not  a  part  of  the  original 
epithalamium.  That  commences  with  the  description  of  the 
bridegroom  as  doubly  blessed  by  God  with  beauty  of  person 
and  grace  of  speech  (2).  Then  follows  the  address  to  him 
as  a  renowned  warrior  girded  with  the  sword  by  which  he 
wins  glory  and  renown  (3)  ;  and  a  skilful  archer  and  successful 
charioteer  (for  the  combination  of  the  two  cf.  the  story  of  Jehu 
2  K.  9) ;  a  champion  of  truth  and  right,  which  every  Hebrew 
loved  to  think  his  king  to  be,  who  in  such  a  cause  wrought 
marvels.  Warrior  (5),  from  the  Greek.  (4)  People  fall  before 
thee  may  be  a  gloss.  Then  the  bridegroom  is  described  as  the 
anointed  king,  favored  of  God  above  his  fellow  kings,  as  every 
Hebrew  conceived  his  king  to  be;  firmly  established  on  his 
throne,  and  an  impartial  administrator  of  justice  (6,  7).  The 
bridegroom  is,  in  other  words,  described  as  the  ideal  king,  a 
brave  and  successful  warrior,  a  just  and  consecrated  ruler. 
However  extravagant  such  terms  may  seem  to  us  applied  to  the 
ordinary  man  as  bridegroom,  they  can  be  paralleled  in  the 
present-day  marriage  songs  of  the  country.  Only  the  deifica- 
tion of  the  king  in  verse  8  seems  impossible.  We  have  no 
instance  of  such  use  in  Hebrew,  although  it  was  common 
enough  among  other  ancient  peoples.  A  comparison  with  verse 
9  suggests  that  the  original  may  have  been  a  statement  that 
God  had  established  his  throne  for  ever,  i.  e.,  given  him  a 
stable   kingship.      The   present  text   seems   to   be   corrupt,   but 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


285 


this   corruption   lent   itself   to   the  later   mystical   interpretaion 
of  the  divine  marriage,  as  in  the  Song  of  Songs. 

Then   follows  a  characteristic  passage  describing  the   wealth 
and   luxury   of   the   king,   which   is   supposed   to   reflect   honor 
on  his  people,  as  exhibited  in  the  use  of  perfumes  and  spicery 
(Am.   6«),   ivory   palaces    (1    K.   22",   Am.   3"),   minstrelsy 
(Am.  6*-=*),  and  in  a  harem  including  kings'  daughters,  mag- 
nificently   appareled    (8,   9).      Into    such    a    harem    it   was    an 
honor  for  any  woman  to  enter    (cf.  Esther)  ;  and  so  the  ad- 
dress to  the  bride  (10,  11),  which  again  describes  the  Israelite 
ideal   of   the   woman's   relation   to   marriage   and   the   husband. 
This    is    followed    by    a    picture    of    the    splendor    which    shall 
be   her   portion    (12,13),      Tyre    was    Galilee's    next   neighbor, 
one  of  the  wealthiest  and  greatest  cities  of  the  world.     Ahab 
married  the  daughter  of  the  king  of  Tyre;  but  for  this  royal 
bride's   wedding  the   daughter   of   Tyre   humbly   brings   a   gift, 
and  the  richest  peoples  render  her  tribute.     It  is  an  exaggera- 
tion such  as  this  epithalamial  literature  delights  in.     The  ad- 
dress to  the  bride  concludes  with  the  picture  of   the  wedding, 
when  the  bride  is  brought  into  her  husband's  house,  the  royal 
palace   (14,   15),  and  the  epithnlamium  proper  concludes   with 
the    wish    for    children    to    the    bridegroom    king    (16).      The 
whole  poem  is  redolent  of  the  atmosphere  of  northern  Israel 
in  the  time  of  its  prosperity.     It  is  the  only  love  song  in  the 
Psalter.     In   Babylonian  psalmody  we   have  a  number  of   love 
songs,  used  as  liturgies,  especially  in  the  worship  of  Ishtar.  Those, 
however,  unlike  this  pure  and  spiritual  hymn,  tend  to  be  obscene, 
or  to  use  a  freedom  of  speech  alien  to  our  ideas  of  virtue,  altho 
akin  in  some  respects  to  the  Song  of  Songs. 

XLVI 

To  the  chief  Musician  for  the  sons  of  Korah,  A  Song  upon  Alamoth. 

GOD  is  our  refuge  and  strength,        1.     God  is  our  refuge  and  strength, 
a  very  present  help  in  trouble. 

2  Therefore  will  not  we  fear, 
though  the  earth  be  removed,  and 
though  the  mountains  be  carried  in- 
to the  midst  of  the  sea ; 

3  Though  the  waters  thereof  roar 
and  be  troubled,  though  the  moun- 
tains shake  with  the  swelling  there- 
of.    Selah. 

4  There  is  a  river,  the  streams 
whereof  shall  make  glad  the  city 
of  God,  the  holy  place  of  the  taber- 
nacles of  the  Most  High. 


A  very  present  help  in  trouble. 
Therefore  we  fear  not,  though 

earth   quiver. 
And    mountains    totter    in    the 

heart  of  seas. 
Its  waters  roar  and  foam, 
Mountains  quake  at  its  swelling. 

Selah. 

(A  river.)  Its  streams  make 
glad  the  city  of  God. 

The  Holy  of  the  dwelling  of 
the  Highest. 


286 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


5  God  is  in  the  midst  of  her;  she 
shall  not  be  moved :  God  shall  help 
her,  and  that  right  early. 

6  The  heathen  raged,  the  king- 
doms were  moved ;  he  uttered  his 
voice,  the  earth  melted. 

7  The  Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us ; 
the  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge. 
Selah. 

8  Come,  behold  the  works  of  the 
Lord,  what  desolations  he  hath  made 
in  the  earth. 

9  He  maketh  wars  to  cease  unto 
the  end  of  the  earth ;  he  breaketh 
the  bow,  and  cutteth  the  spear  in 
sunder;  he  burneth  the  chariot  in 
the  fire. 

10  Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am 
God :  I  will  be  exalted  among  the 
heathen,  I  will  be  exalted  in  the 
earth. 

11  The  Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us ; 
the  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge. 
Selah. 


5.  God  is  within  her;  she  cannot 
totter, 

God  helpeth  her  at  break  of 
dawn. 

6.  Nations       roared,       kingdoms 
tottered ; 

He  uttered  His  voice;  earth 
melteth. 

7.  (Refraiti.)— The  Lord  of  Hosts 
is  with  us  ; 

The  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge. 
Selah. 

8.  Come,  behold  the  wonders  of 
the  Lord, 

What  terrors  He  hath  wrought 
in  the  earth ; 

9.  Stilling    wars    to    the    end    of 
the  world. 

He  breaketh  the  bow  and 
knappeth  the   spear. 

Chariots  He  burneth  in  the 
fire. 

10.  Cease  ye,  and  know  that  I  am 
God, 

Exalted  among  the  nations, 
exalted  on  earth. 

11.  (Refrain.)— The  Lord  of  Hosts 
is  with  us ; 

The  God  of  Jacob  is  our 
refuge. 

Selah. 

God  Our  Refuge 

Apparently  the  original  Psalm  consisted  only  of  the  first 
two  stanzas  of  our  present  Psalm  (1-3,  4-6),  without  the 
refrain,  but  with  the  sclahs.  This  pictures  vividly  the  condi- 
tions of  the  region  about  Dan,  where  everything  seeins  to  be 
in  unstable  equilibrium,  as  though  resting  on  great  seas,  whose 
waters  roar  and  foam  beneath.  On  my  first  visit  to  Dan  we 
floundered  for  what  seemed  like  miles  through  water  up  to  our 
horses'  bellies,  but  on  what  were  evidently  roads  or  horse 
tracks  beneath,  hearing  always  the  roaring  of  the  waters  pour- 
ing out  at  Dan.  This  general  region  has  been  subject  to 
earth  shakes  and  quakes,  and  those  may  well  have  been 
associated  with  this  sense  of  unstable  equilibrium,  as  of  earth 
resting  on  subterranean  seas  whose  agitation  makes  the  earth 
quiver,  the  mountains  totter,  which,  at  times  at  least,  the  whole 
neighborhood  produces.  The  word  a  river  at  the  commence- 
ment of  stanza  2   (4)   seems  to  be  a  gloss  to  explain  the  fol- 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  287 

lowing  its  streams.  This  turbulent  subterranean  sea  whose 
storms  agitate  earth  and  mountains  is  a  source  of  gladness 
and  joy  in  the  river  it  pours  forth  at  sacred  Dan,  the  holy 
place  (Holy)  of  the  Highest  (Ely on,  an  archaic,  poetic  title 
of  divinity).  There  He  is,  and  the  turbulent  sea  becomes, 
instead  of  a  danger  and  a  menace,  making  the  world  totter, 
a  source  of  life  (4,  5).  So  will  He  by  His  voice  quell  the 
storm  of  the  nations  and  the  roaring  of  those  who  threaten 
Israel  (6).  The  closing  words  of  5,  God  helpeth  her  at  break 
of  dawn  (literally,  appearance  of  morning),  suggest  that  this 
was  a  liturgy   to   be   used   at   the  morning  sacrifice. 

The  closing  stanza  (8-10)  is  much  later.  It  is  Yahawistic, 
not  Elohistic,  and  based  on  those  Messianic  prophecies  of  the 
peace  which  shall  result  from  the  destruction  of  the  enemies 
of  the  Jews,  which,  beginning  with  such  early  prophecies  of 
the  Holy  Mount  as  we  find  in  Is.  2  and  Mic.  4,  find  their 
culmination  in  the  prophecy  of  Gog  and  Magog  (Ez.  38,  39). 
I  fancy  that  this  final  Judean  stanza  had  that  prophecy 
behind  it.  At  the  same  time  a  Yahawistic  refrain  (7,  11) 
was  added  to  the  original  hymn  and  to  the  new  stanza,  using, 
however,  along  with  Yahaweh,  the  ancient  Israelite  title  of 
God  of  Jacob,  in  apparent  recognition  of  the  source  of  the 
original  Psalm.  The  selah  at  the  end  of  the  original  Psalm 
was  retained ;  and  a  selah  added,  at  the  close  of  the  refrain,  to 
the  new  stanza,  giving  a  use  of  selah  unique  in  this  Psalm. 
The  refrains  savor  of  that  literary  redaction  which,  as  sug- 
gested above,  the  Psalms  of  this  collection  underwent. 

This  was  Luther's  favorite  Psalm,  on  which  is  based  his 
famous  h3'^mn.  It  has  always  been  a  favorite  Psalm  of  those 
under  stress  and  train.  It  was  sung  in  the  streets  of  Paris 
by  the  revolutionists  of  1848,  and  by  the  hard-pressed  British 
in  India  in  the  Sepoy  rebellion. 

XLVII 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm   for  the  sons  of  Korah. 


OCLAP  your  hands,  all  ye  peo- 
ple !   shout  unto  God  with  the 
voice  of  triumph. 

2  For  the  Lord  most  high  is  terri- 
ble ;  he  is  a  great  King  over  all  the 
earth. 


1.  All     ye     peoples,      clap    your 

hands ; 
Shout   to    God   with   voice   of 
gladness. 

2.  For    the    Lord    Most    High   is 

awful, 
A     great   king    over     all    the 
earth. 


288 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


3  He  shall  subdue  the  people  un- 
der us,  and  the  nations  under  our 
feet. 

4  He  shall  choose  our  inherit- 
ance for  us,  the  excellency  of 
Jacob  whom  he  loved.     Selah. 

5  God  is  gone  up  with  a  shout, 
the  Lord  with  the  sound  of  a 
trumpet. 

6  Sing  praises  to  God,  sing 
praises :  sing  praises  unto  our 
King,    sing    praises. 

7  For  God  is  the  King  of  all  the 
earth :  sing  ye  praises  with  under- 
standing. 

8  God  reigneth  over  the  heathen : 
God  sitteth  upon  the  throne  of  his 
holiness. 

9  The  princes  of  the  people  are 
gathered  together,  even  the  peo- 
ple of  the  God  of  Abraham :  for 
the  shields  of  the  earth  belong 
unto  God :  he  is  greatly  exalted. 


3.  He     subdueth     peoples     under 

us. 
And    nations    under   our    feet. 

4.  He  chooseth  our  heritage  for 

us, 
The    pride  of    Jacob    that    He 
loveth. 

Selah. 

5.  God  is  gone  up  with  a  shout. 
The  Lord  with  peal  of  trum- 
pet. 

6.  Chant   unto   God,   chant  ye ! 
Chant    unto    our    king,    chant 

ye  I 

7.  For    God    is   king    of    all    the 

earth ; 
Chant  (repetition). 

8.  God  is  King  over  the  nations ; 
God      sitteth      on      His      holy 

throne. 

9.  Princes        of        peoples        are 

gathered. 
With  the  people  of  Abraham's 

God; 
For  to  God  belong  the   rulers 

of    earth ; 
He  is  highly  exalted. 


God  Is  King 

Clearly  this  is  a  processional  up  to  and  about  the  altar,  to 
be  accompanied  by  clapping  the  hands  in  rhythm  (1-4).  When 
the  altar  is  reached  and  the  sacrifice  offered  with  the  shout, 
there  is  the  blast  of  trumpets  and  instrumental  music  (chant), 
and  homage  to  God  as  king  (5-7).  Then  follows  a  song  to 
Him  as  king  of  all  the  earth,  seated  now  on  His  heavenly 
throne  (8,  9).  In  later  Jewish  use  this  was  the  New  Year's 
Psalm,  and  it  may  well  have  been  originally  intended  for  the 
feast  of  the  new  moon  of  the  seventh  month  (Lev.  23^^). 
In  the  Church  use  it  became  for  obvious  reasons  (cf.  vv.  5,  9) 
an  Ascension  Psalm.  It  represents  God  as  having  given 
Israel,  or  rather  Jacob  (cf.  also  44*,  46^-^^),  victory  over  other 
peoples,  whose  princes  are  now  assembled  with  the  people  of 
Abraham's  God  to  do  Him  homage.  This  does  not  necessarily 
mean  present  victories,  but  may  be  a  reflection  of  the  con- 
quest and  past  victories,  thus  remembered  in  the  liturgies  for 
specific  occasions. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


289 


Yahaweh  is  twice  used  (2,  5).  In  the  first  case  it  seems 
clearly  a  later  substitution  for  an  original  Elohim,  a  Yahawistic 
redaction;  in  the  second  it  may  be  original,  an  intentional  use 
of  the  two  names  in  parellelism.  Most  High  (2),  Hebrew 
Elyon,  an  archaic  poetical  name  for  the  Divinity.  Chooseth 
our  heritage  for  us  (4),  only  here;  from  other  analogy  we 
should  expect  chooseth  us  for  His  heritage.  Repetition  (7, 
Hebrew  ntaskil)  i.  e.,  repeat  at  this  point  v.  6,  the  chorus 
shout : 

Chant  unto  God,  chant  ye ! 

Chant  unto  our  king,  chant  j^e ! 

The  last  phrase  is  made  the  theme  of  the  closing  stanza 
(8,  9).  This  is  also  the  theme  of  Ps.  97,  99  (except  that 
there  we  have  Yahaweh,  not  Elohim),  which  are  in  thought 
and  spirit  so  like  this  stanza  that  one  is  inclined  to  suspect 
that  this  belongs  to  the  same  period,  an  addition  to  our 
Psalm  in  the  early  post-exilic  time.  This  is  confirmed  by  the 
use  of  Abraham's  God  (9),  a  title  elsewhere  used  only  in  the 
Judean  Yahawistic  document  (J),  and  in  a  more  elaborated 
form  in  Kings  and  Chronicles  (cf.  Gen.  26*,  28^',  SI'*', 
1  K.  18««,  1  Chr.  29",  2  Chr.  30'). 


XLVIII 

A  song  and  Psalm  for  the  sons  of  Korah. 


GREAT  is  the  Lord,  and  greatly 
to  be  praised  in  the  city  of 
our  God,  in  the  mountain  of  his 
holiness. 

2  Beautiful  for  situation,  the  joy 
of  the  whole  earth,  is  Mount  Zion, 
on  the  sides  of  the  north,  the  city 
of   the   great    King. 

3  God  is  known  in  her  palaces 
for  a  refuge. 

4  For,  lo,  the  kings  were  assem- 
bled, they  passed  by  together. 

5  They  saw  it,  and  so  they 
marvelled ;  they  were  troubled,  and 
hasted  away. 

6  Fear  took  hold  upon  them 
there,  and  pain,  as  of  a  woman  in 
travail. 

7  Thou  breakest  the  ships  of 
Tarshish    with    an    east  wind. 


1.  Great  is  the  Lord,  and  highly 

to  be  praised. 
In    the    city    of    our    God,    the 
mountain   of   His   holiness ; 

2.  Beautiful   in   elevation,  joy   of 

the  whole  land, 
(Mount  Zion)  Recesses  of  the 
north,  city  of  a  great  king ; 

3.  God  in  her  fortresses. 
Known  for  a  refuge. 

4.  For    behold  kings    assembled. 
They  passed  over  likewise; 

5.  They      saw,      so      they      were 

astonished, 
Dismayed,    they    fled. 

6.  There  trembling  took  hold  of 

them; 
Writhing,    as     of      one     that 
travaileth. 

7.  (With     an     east     wind     Thou 

shatterest    Tarshish    ships.) 


290 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


8  As  we  have  heard,  so  have  we 
seen  in  the  city  of  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  in  the  city  of  our  God :  God 
will    estabHsh    it  for    ever.      Selah. 

9  We  have  thought  of  thy  lov- 
ingkindness,  O  God,  in  the  midst 
of   thy   temple. 

10  According  to  thy  name,  O 
God,  so  is  thy  praise  unto  the  ends 
of  the  earth :  thy  right  hand  is 
full   of   righteousness. 

11  Let  mount  Zion  rejoice,  let 
the  daughters  of  Judah  be  glad, 
because  of  thy  judgments. 

12  Walk  about  Zion,  and  go 
round  about  her:  tell  the  towers 
thereof. 

13  Mark  ye  well  her  bulwarks, 
consider  her  palaces;  that  ye  may 
tell  it  to  the  generation  following. 

14  For  this  God  is  our  God  for 
ever  and  ever:  he  will  be  our 
guide  even  unto  death. 


8.  So  we  saw  it    (in  the  city  of 

the    Lord   of    Hosts)-   in   the 
city   of    our   God. 
God    establisheth   her    forever. 

Selah. 

9.  We    ponder,    God,    Thy    loving 

kindness. 
In  the  midst  of  Thy  temple. 

10.  As    Thy    name,    God,  so    Thy 

praise    to    the    ends    of    the 
earth. 
Thy  right  hand  full  of   right- 
eousness. 

11.  Let    Mount    Zion    rejoice,    the 

daughters  of  Judah  exult. 
Because  of  Thy  judgments. 

12.  Encircle  Zion,  make  the  round 

of   her. 
Count  her  towers, 

13.  Set    your    mind    on    her    ram- 

parts. 
Observe  her   fortresses. 
That  ye  may  tell  to  an   after 

age, 

14.  That  such  is  God,  our  God, 
Who  leadeth  us  ever  and  ave. 


City  of  God 

Originally  a  praise  song  of  Dan,  closely  allied  to  46,  and  v^ith 
various  phrases  and  turns  of  thought  which  connect  it  with 
the  psalmody  of  the  northern  kingdom,  this  Psalm  was  later 
converted  into  a  praise  song  of  Zion.  The  first  half  of  v.  1, 
part  of  the  Yahawistic  redaction,  is  identical  with  the  first 
half  of  96*.  The  second  half  is  similar  to  46*  (cf.  also  3 
with  46  ^b).  Lam.  2^^  cites  the  words  joy  of  the  whole  land 
(2),  and  also  a  phrase  in  50,  as  applied  to  Zion  in  his  day. 
Whether  that  is  a  reference  to  these  Psalms  is  not  clear. 
Mount  Zion  in  v.  2  seems  on  metrical  grounds  to  be  an  intru- 
sion, and  the  succeeding  recesses  of  the  north  certainly  does 
not  describe  Zion,  while  it  is  appropriate  to  Dan,  at  the  foot 
of  sacred  Hermon.  The  distant  mountains  of  che  north  were 
in  a  peculiar  sense  a  dwelling  place  of  God,  a  sort  of  Mount 
Olympus  (cf.  Is.  14").  Vv.  4-6,  8,  depict  a  deliverance  from 
invading  enemies,  perhaps  originally  some  specific  deliverance, 
for  which  sacrifice  was  to  be  offered,  of  course,  and  for 
which  this  Psalm  was  the  liturgy.  V.  7  is  a  prose  gloss  which 
has   crept   in.     It  has   behind   it   Ez.   27  "•  ze      Tarshish  ships 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


291 


means  the  largest  merchant  ships  known  to  those  days,  designed 
for  commerce  with  the  most  distant  regions.  Tarshish  was 
Spain.  In  the  city  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  (8)  is  metrically 
an  intrusion,  and  belongs  to  the  Yahawistic  recension.  In  the 
second  half  of  the  Psalm  v.  11  is  identical  with  97*,  and 
this  and  the'  following  verse  are  clearly  Judean.  The  appar- 
ent dependence  of  verses  1  and  11  on  Psalms  96  and  97 
would  date  the  Judean  redaction  of  this  Psalm  after  the 
exile,  and  the  reference  to  the  ramparts  and  fortifications 
of  Jerusalem  (11-13)  place  it  after  the  time  of  Nehemiah; 
while  the  peculiar  pride  expressed  in  these  fortifications  sug- 
gests that  Nehemiah's  rebuilding  of  Jerusalem  was  fairly  recent. 
The  closing  words,  rendered  in  our  English  Bible  unto  death, 
are  wanting  in  the  Greek  translation.  They  look  like  the  mu- 
sical direction  'al  alamoth,  and  may  possibly  belong  to  the 
succeeding  Psalm. 

According  to  the  Greek  translation  this  was  the  proper  Psalm 
for  the  second  day  of  the  week.  In  Church  use  it  is  assigned 
to  Whitsunday.  V.  2  is  quoted  freely  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  Matt.  5  '^ 


XLIX 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  for  the  sons  of  Korah. 


HEAR  this,  all  ye  people;   give 
ear,  all  ye  inhabitants  of   the 
world : 

2  Both  low  and  high,  rich  and 
poor,   together. 

3  My  mouth  shall  speak  of  wis- 
dom; and  the  meditation  of  my 
heart  shall  be  of  understanding. 

4  I  will  incline  mine  ear  to  a 
parable :  I  will  open  my  dark  say- 
ing upon  the  harp. 

5  Wherefore  should  I  fear  in 
the  days  of  evil,  when  the  iniquity 
of  my  heels  shall  compass  me 
about? 

6  They  that  trust  in  their  wealth, 
and  boast  themselves  in  the  mul- 
titude of  their  riches; 

7  None  of  them  can  by  any 
means  redeem  his  brother,  nor  give 
to  God  a  ransom  for  him : 

8  (For  the  redemption  of  their 
soul  is  precious,  and  it  ceaseth  for 
ever:) 


1.  Hear  this,  all  peoples; 

Give   ear,   all   dwellers   of   the 
world ; 

2.  Both   low   and  high. 
Rich    and    poor    together. 

3.  My    mouth    speaketh    wisdom, 
And  the   musing  of   my   heart 

is     understanding. 

4.  I    incline   mine   ear   to   a   par- 

able, 
I    declare    my    riddle    on    the 
harp. 

5.  Why    fear    in    days    of   evil. 
When  their  wiles  surround  me 

with  ill? 

6.  There   are   that   trust   in   their 

wealth, 
That     boast     in     their     great 
riches ; 

7.  But  none  can  redeem  another. 
Nor  pay  unto  God  his  ransom, 

8.  (For  their  life's  ransom  were 

costly, 
Nor  availeth  for  ever;) 


292 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


9  That  he  should  still  live  for 
ever,   and  not   see   corruption. 

10  For  he  seeth  that  wise  men 
die,  likewise  the  fool  and  the 
brutish  person  perish,  and  leave 
their  wealth  to  others. 

11  Their  inward  thought  is,  that 
their  houses  shall  continue  for 
ever,  and  their  dwelling  places  to 
all  generations;  they  call  their 
lands   after   their   own   names. 

12  Nevertheless  man  being  in 
honour  abideth  not:  he  is  like  the 
beasts   that  perish. 

13  This  their  way  is  their  folly; 
yet  their  posterity  approve  their 
sayings.     Selah. 

14  Like  sheep  they  are  laid  in 
the  grave;  death  shall  feed  on 
thern;  and  the  upright  shall  have 
dominion  over  them  in  the  morn- 
ing; and  their  beauty  shall  con- 
sume in  the  grave  from  their 
dwelling. 

15  But  God  wil  redeem  my  soul 
from  the  power  of  the  grave:  for 
he    shall    receive    me.      Selah. 

16  Be  not  thou  afraid  when  one 
is  made  rich,  when  the  glory  of 
his  house  is  increased; 

17  For  when  he  dieth  he  shall 
carry  nothing  away :  his  glory  shall 
not  descend  after  him. 

18  Though  while  he  lived  he 
blessed  his  soul,  (and  men  will 
praise  thee,  when  thou  doest  well 
to  thyself.) 


10. 


11. 


That  he  should  live  alway, 
Nor  behold  the  pit. 
(For  see,  wise  men  die.) 
The  foolish  and  brutish  perish 

together, 
And     leave    to     others     their 

wealth ; 

Their  grave  their  home  for 
aye, 

Their  abode  to  all  genera- 
tions, 

Who  called  lands  by  their 
names. 


12.  And    man    with    wealth    with- 

out    understanding. 
Is    like     to     the     beasts     that 
vanish. 

13.  This  is  the  way  of  their  folly, 
And    they    that    follow    enjoy 

their  portion. 

Selah. 


14. 


IS. 


Like    sheep    they    are    folded 

to  Hell; 
Death   feedeth   them; 
And     the     righteous     trample 

them   daily, 
And  their  form  Hell's  temple 

consumeth. 

But    God    redeemeth    me  from 

Hell, 
For  He  leadeth  me. 

Selah. 


16.  Fear  not,  though  men  be  rich, 
Though     the     glory    of    their 

house  increase ; 

17.  For   in   their   death  they   take 

nought. 
Their    glory     descendeth     not 
after   them. 

18.  Though  ni  his  life  he  be  for- 

tunate, 
(And  men  praise  thee  if  thou 
prosper,) 

19.  He    reacheth    the    lot    of    his 

fathers, 
That  see  not  light   for  ever. 

20.  And  man  with  wealth  without 

understanding. 
Is  like  to  the  beasts  that  are 
slain. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  293 

The  Riddle  of  Life 

The  original  of  this  Psalm  was  a  sacrificial  liturgy,  similar 
in  tone  and  motive  to  37,  and  still  more  to  73,  setting  forth 
the  ultimate  victory  of  Israel,  by  the  might  and  favor  of  his 
God,  over  powerful  nations  which  surround  him  and  devise 
his  destruction,  trusting  to  false  Gods;  foolish  and  brutish, 
without  understanding,  i.  e.,  knowledge  of  the  true  God.  They 
shall  perish  like  the  beasts,  and  the  lands  that  are  called  by 
their  names  shall  know  them  no  more.  They  shall  have  no 
posterity,  but  others  shall  profit  by  the  wealth  in  which  they 
now  boast.  Sheol  shall  be  their  portion,  and  they  his  flock, 
daily  pastured  by  death  as  their  shepherd,  and  gradually  con- 
sumed by  the  needs  of  his  temple,  while  the  righteous  (Israel) 
trample  them  (their  graves)  under  foot.  But  Israel  shall 
never  perish,  for  God  leadeth  them  and  will  keep  them  from 
Sheol.  This  original  Psalm  was  essentially  somewhat  as  fol- 
lows: 

Why  fear  in  days  of  evil, 
When  their   wiles  surround  me  with  ill, 
They  that  trust  in  their  wealth, 
That  boast  in  their  great  riches? 

The   foolish  and  brutish  perish  together, 
And  leave  to  others  their  wealth ; 
Their  graves  their  homes  forever. 
Their  abode  to  all  generations   ; 
Who  called  lands  by  their  names. 

This  is  their  way  of  their  folly, 
And  they  that  follow  enjoy  their  portion. 

Selah. 
Like  sheep  they  are  folded  to  Hell, 
Death  f eedeth  them ; 
And  the  righteous  trample  them  daily, 
And  their  form  Hell's  temple  consumeth. 

But  God  redeemeth  me  from  Hell, 

For  He  leadeth  me. 

Selah. 

Israel  need  not  fear  in  days  of  calamity  the  evil  conse- 
quences of  the  devices  of  the  enemies,  i.  e.,  of  their  idolatrous 
worship  and  the  curse  of  their  gods  upon  Israel,  won 
through  that  worship,  which  the  Israelites  classed  as  magic 
(cf.  41  ^"®).     This  enemy  is   the  rich  and  powerful  neighbors 


294  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

who  lay  especially  near  to  Dan,  Damascus  on  the  east  and 
north,  Tyre  and  Sidon  to  the  west  (5,  6).  Foolish  and  brutish, 
as  in  92  °,  94  ^,  the  heathen  idolaters.  These  shall  perish  as 
nations,  leaving  no  trace  in  future  generations  in  the  lands  that 
now  bear  their  names  (10,  11).  This  is  the  lot  of  the  wor- 
shippers of  false  gods,  that  to  which  such  foolishness  leads, 
that  aliens  shall  enjoy  their  possession  after  them  (13).  Here 
comes  the  ritual  sclah,  outburst  of  praise.  Then  follows  a 
further  description  of  their  fate.  As  the  sheep  are  often 
folded  by  night  in  the  deep  caves  of  the  land,  formerly  used 
as  tombs,  so  they  are  folded  in  the  pit  of  Sheol,  Hell,  i.  e., 
their  tombs,  here  personified,  by  death,  their  shepherd,  and 
over  these  tombs  the  righteous,  i.  e.  Israel  (meaning  by  root 
righteous  of  God),  shall  trample  (cf.  Mai.  4^).  Taking  up 
the  personification  of  Sheol,  the  pit,  i.  e.,  their  graves,  is  then 
represented  as  his  temple,  for  which  they,  the  sheep,  become 
the  sacrifices  until  the  whole  form  and  being  of  their  nation 
wastes  away  to  nothingness  (14,  but  cf.  Job  25^^).  But  God 
will  redeem  Israel  from  Sheol,  i.  e.,  national  death,  that  he 
may  continue  for  ever  (cf.  16^^),  for  He  taketh  or  Icadeth 
(cf.  73-*)  him  (15).  This  is  of  the  nature  of  an  assurance 
of  the  acceptance  of  the  sacrifice,  and  is  followed  by  another 
outburst  of  praise,  selah. 

Other  elements  of  the  old  liturgy  may  and  probably  do 
exist  in  the  Psalm,  but  they  have  been  so  worked  over  that 
we  may  best  treat  them  as  part  of  that  redaction  which  has 
made  the  Psalm  a  literary  creation,  and  a  discussion  of  the 
riddle  of  life,  the  problem  of  good  and  evil  and  Israel's  reward, 
as  affecting  apparently  the  individual  also,  the  same  problem 
discussed  in  the  book  of  Job.  From  the  literary  standpoint 
it  was  made  into  a  carefully  organized  poem,  with  an  intro- 
ductory ode  (1-4),  and  the  riddle  ^5),  or  theme  of  the  poem. 
This  is  discussed  in  two  stanzas  (6-11,  13-19),  provided  with 
identical  refrains  (12,  20),  but  the  old  ritual  directions  (selah) 
were  retained,  breaking  into  the  later  literary  form  and  reveal- 
ing the  earlier  liturgical  use.  The  introductory  ode  uses  the 
language  both  of  Wisdom  (i.  e.,  of  the  Job  class  of  literature, 
wisdom,  parable,  riddle)  and  of  psalmody  (on  the  harp), 
showing  the  redactor's  consciousness  of  the  new  element  intro- 
duced, and  his  own  relation  to  the  Wisdom  writers.  The 
riddle  (5),  as  he  reads  it,  is:  Why  should  the  godless  prosper 
and  in  part  certainly  through  them  calamity  befall  a  righteous 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  295 

believer?  The  following  verse  (6)  is  now  dissevered  from 
the  preceding  and  connected  with  the  following,  hence  the 
slight  difference  in  the  two  translations.  The  thought  of 
this  stanza  (6-11)  is  that  no  power  or  wealth  can  save  the 
unbeliever  {foolish  and  brutish)  from  complete  and  eternal 
destruction  in  the  grave ;  which  is  summed  up  in  the  refrain 
(12),  where  understanding  means  belief  in  the  true  God  (cf. 
Ps.  92,  94).  Into  this  stanza  has  crept  what  was  probably 
originally  a  gloss,  the  comment  of  one  questioning  the  orthodox 
view  somewhat  in  the  spirit  of  Job:  For  see,  wise  men  die 
(10),  it  is  not  only  the  unbelievers  that  go  into  Sheol.  The 
second  stanza  (13-19)  comtinues  through  vv.  13-15  the  de- 
nunciation of  the  godless  to  an  awful  fate,  after  which  fol- 
lows in  somewhat  cryptic  form  the  answer  to  the  riddle,  the 
encouragement  to  the  faithful  Israelite  to  persevere.  V.  15, 
in  the  original  Psalm  spoken  of  the  nation  and  of  national 
continuance  of  life,  becomes  something  like  the  hope  of  a  life 
for  the  individual  after  death,  like  Job  19  "-27.  ^^t  as  that  is 
not  pushed  to  its  conclusion,  neither  is  this.  The  final  answer 
is  as  incomplete  as  that  of  Job,  but  is  rather  in  the  spirit 
of  the  ending  to  Ecclesiastes  (12-13)  than  of  Job.  Wealth 
and  honor  are  vain  to  save,  fear  God  and  keep  His  command- 
ments, for  this  is  the  whole  of  man. 

As  in  the  case  of  the  preceding  Psalms  the  similarity  to 
passages  in  the  Prayer  of  Moses  (90-99)  evinces  connection 
with,  if  not  dependence  on  the  redaction  of  this  Psalm  upon 
that  collection,  and,  with  the  relation  to  Job,  indicates  the 
earlier  part  of  the  post-exilic  period  as  the  date  of  that  re- 
daction; perhaps  shortly  after  Nehemiah. 

Psalms  of  Asaph 

These  Psalms  are  clearly  from  the  northern  kingdom,  i.  e., 
Israel,  from  their  use  of  Elchim,  and  of  the  God  of  Jacob, 
from  their  evident  linguistic  relationship  with  the  Psalms  of 
the  Sons  of  Korah,  and  their  close  relation  in  both  thought 
and  phraseology  to  the  hook  of  Deuteronomy,  and  to  some 
extent  with  Psalms  51-73,  the  Prayers  of  David  the  son  of  Jesse, 
and  their  special  fondness  for  the  Elohistic  narrative  as  an 
historical  source.  That  they  belong  to  a  Josephite  shrine  is 
made  clear  by  the  repeated  use  of  Joseph,  Ephraim  and 
Manasseh,  to  which  is  once  added  Benjamin   (80).     This  sug- 


296  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

gests  Bethel,  which  by  its  proximity  at  least  had  a  special 
relation  to  Benjamin,  a  relation  which  is  brought  out  in  the 
story  of  the  crime  of  Benjamin  in  Jud.  20,  21  (cf.  20^^'^^), 
according  to  which  the  Ark  was  housed  there  (21  ^"*'  ^^).  This 
is  confirmed  by  the  frequent  use  of  El  as  the  name  of  Divinity, 
never  used  in  the  Korah  Psalter  and  rarely  elsewhere,  as  in 
the  name  Beth-el,  and  by  the  fondness  for  entitling  God  as  a 
Rock.  Bethel  like  Dan  was  a  great  nature  shrine,  i.  e.,  a 
sanctuary  whose  sanctity  was  originally  derived  from  a  striking 
natural  phenomenon,  a  field  of  huge  stone  pillars,  the  result 
of  erosion.  These  stand,  or  rather  stood,  for  during  the 
war  they  were  broken  up  to  construct  a  road  bed,  on  a  sort 
of  shelf  above  Bethel,  on  the  side  of  the  hill  which  rises  in  a 
crest  northward.  They  look  like  the  heaps  of  memorial  or  tes- 
timony which  exist  and  have  existed  from  all  ages  through 
Palestine  and  Syria.  Such  heaps  a  man  makes  by  piling 
stones  one  on  top  of  another  as  a  testimony  or  memorial  to 
God  or  a  saint  for  some  reason.  These  colossal  natural  heaps 
of  testimony  at  Bethel  were  held  sacred  as  the  erection  of  the 
divine  or  semi-divine  ancestor  Jacob  (cf.  Gen.  28""").  Above 
them,  as  stated,  the  hill  rises  to  a  crest  or  ridge,  which  clearly 
separates  the  more  plateau  like  mountain  on  the  south  from 
the  broken  country  of  almost  isolated  mountains  northward. 
This  crest  is  not  actually  the  highest  point  in  that  region 
(Baal  Hazor,  the  modern  Tel  Azur,  a  few  miles  to  the  north,  is 
higher),  but  it  gives  the  eflfect  of  great  height  by  its  form 
and  position.  From  the  south,  as  from  Nebi  Samwil  (Mizpah) 
it  appears  as  a  ridge  or  crest,  up  to  which  everything  is 
gradually  ascending  from  far  south  of  Jerusalem  northward. 
This  crest,  just  above  Jacob's  pillar,  was  the  ladder,  a  word 
properly  meaning  promontory  (cf.  the  famous  "ladder  of  Tyre" 
on  the  Phoenician  coast),  which  Jacob  saw  connecting  earth 
and  heaven.  When  the  Israelites  conquered  the  country  they 
took  over  both  Jacob  and  his  shrine,  identifying  Jacob  with 
Israel,  and  turning  Luz  into  Bethel. 

If  these  Psalms  originated  in  the  Temple  at  Bethel,  then 
it  would  seem  to  follow  naturally  that  Asaph  was  the  priest- 
hood of  that  shrine.  Outside  of  the  heading  of  these  Psalms 
the  name  appears  only  in  the  historical  genealogy  of  the 
Priest  Code  (Ex.  6  ^^),  and  in  the  lists  of  the  singers,  or  in  notices 
of  the  Temple  singers  in  Chronicles,  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  (1  Chr. 
6,  9,  15,  16,  25;  2  Chr.  5,  20,  29,  35;  Ezr.  2,  3,  Neh.  7,  11). 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  297 

From  this  it  would  appear  that  in  the  post-exilic  times  the 
Asaphites  were  the  Levitical  singers  of  the  Jerusalem  Temple, 
descended  from  Korah,  i.e.  their  Psalter  was  of  later  origin 
than  that  of  the  Sons  of  Korah.  In  general  in  those  books  the 
names  Asaph  and  David  represent  psalmody,  i.  e.,  we  have  two 
psalm  books :  the  Jerusalem  or  David  psalm  book  and  the  Asaph 
psalm  book.  In  some  places,  however,  Asaph,  instead  of  being 
descended  from  Kohath,  the  second  son  of  Levi,  through  Korah,  is 
descended  from  Gershom,  the  eldest  son,  and  we  have  three 
guilds  of  Levitical  singers,  of  one  of  which  Asaph  was  the 
head.  This  seems  to  represent  three  books  of  Psalms.  Then, 
finally  (2  Chr.  29^^),  the  "sons  of  Asaph"  are  represented 
as  one  of  four  divisions  of  Temple  singers,  and  we  have  four 
books.  The  lists  in  those  books  appear  to  tell  in  part  the  story 
of  the  growth  of  the  Psalter,  for  Chronicles  is  in  essence  the 
history  of  the  Temple  and  its  ritual,  especially  its  liturgy, 
to  which  everything  else  in  the  world  was  subordinated. 

It  would  seem,  accordingly,  that  Asaph  was  the  priesthood 
of  Bethel,  which  migrated  to  Jerusalem  at  the  fall  of  Samaria, 
and  was  incorporated  as  Levites  into  the  service  of  the  Temple 
of  Jerusalem,  of  which  in  the  post-exilic  period  the  sons  of 
Asaph  became  the  singing  guild.  A  certain  number  of  the 
liturgies  of  the  Bethel  priesthood  were  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  Asaph  into  the  pre-exilic  Psalm  book,  namely  Psalms 
50,  73-83;  and  at  least  one  post-exilic  collection,  the  "Prayer 
of  Moses"  (90-99),  shows  the  influence  of  those  Psalms, 
and  of  the  Asaphic  tradition  in  that  period.  Indeed  at  that 
period  the  Asaphites  dominated  Temple  psalmody,  so  that  all 
the  singers  of  the  Temple,  128  or  148  in  number,  are  repre- 
sented as  "sons  of  Asaph";  but  we  are  also  told  of  other 
guilds  of  earlier  times,  to  account  for  the  different  collections 
in  use  before  the  time  of  the  Chronicler,  and  to  explain 
the  names  handed  down  in  connection  with  some  of  those  Psalms. 

This  collection  is  also  distinguished  from  the  other  early 
collections  for  its  use  of  history.  It  first  relates  in  rhymed 
form  the  history  of  Israel,  depending  for  its  material  on 
Samuel,  a  form  of  Psalm  which  became  very  popular  in  the 
later  post-exilian  Psalmody,  manifestly  under  the  influence 
of  the  Psalter  of  Asaph. 

It  should  be  observed  that  both  the  Asaph  Psalter  and  the 
Prayers  of   David    (51-72)    commence  with   Psalms  containing 


298 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


a  spiritual  interpretation  of  sacrifice,  similar  to  those  with  which 
the  ancient  Jerusalem  Psalter  (3-41)  closes,  which  are  ap- 
parently later  than  the  succeeding  Psalms  of  those  collections. 
In  view  of  the  part  which  the  Asaphites  play  later  in 
Temple  psalmody  one  is  led  to  ask  whether  they  did  not 
play  some  part  in  bringing  Shechemite  Psalms  and  Psalms 
of  other  north-Israelite  shrines  besides  Bethel  to  Jerusalem. 


THE  mighty  God,  even  the  Lord, 
hath  spoken,  and  called  the  earth 
from  the  rising  of  the  sun  unto 
the  going  down  thereof. 

2  Out  of  Zion,  the  perfection 
of    beauty,    God    hath    shined. 

3  Our  God  shall  come,  and  shall 
not  keep  silence:  a  fire  shall  de- 
vour before  him,  and  it  shall  be 
very  tempestuous  round  about  him. 

4  He  shall  call  to  the  heavens 
from  above,  and  to  the  earth,  that 
he  may  judge  his  people. 

5  Gather  my  saints  together  un- 
to me ;  those  that  have  made  a 
covenant    with   me    by    sacrifice. 

6  And  the  heavens  shall  declare 
his  righteousness:  for  God  is  judge 
himself.      Selah. 

7  Hear,  O  my  people,  and  I  will 
speak;  O  Israel,  and  I  will  testify 
against  thee :  I  am  God,  even  thy 
God. 

8  I  will  not  reprove  thee  for  thy 
sacrifices  or  thy  burnt  offerings, 
to  have  been  continually  before  me. 

9  I  will  take  no  bullock  out  of 
thy  house,  ni)r  he  goats  out  of  thy 
folds : 

10  For  every  beast  of  the  forest 
is  mine,  and  the  cattle  upon  a 
thousand    hills. 

11  I  know  all  the  fowls  of  the 
mountains :  and  the  wild  beasts  of 
the  field  are   mine. 

12  If  I  were  hungry,  I  would 
not  tell  thee :  for  the  world  is 
mine,  and  the  fulness  thereof. 


1.  The  God  of  gods,    (the  Lord), 

spake, 
And  .  called    the     earth     from 
sun  rising  unto  its  setting. 

2.  (From     Zion,     perfection      of 

beauty,  God  shone. 

3.  Let    our    God    come    and    not 

be   still!) 
Fire  burneth  before  Him, 
And  about  Him  storm  rageth. 

4.  He   calleth   to   heaven    above, 
And    to    earth,    to    judge    His 

people : 

5.  Gather  to  Me  My  saints, 
Who    covenant    with     Me    by 

sacrifice. 

6.  And      heaven      declared      His 

righteousness, 
That  Goo — He  is  judge. 

Selah. 

7.  Hear,     My     people,     while     I 

speak, 
And    hold    council    with    thee, 

oh    Israel ; 
God,  thy   God  am  I. 

8.  Not    for    thy    sacrifices    do    I 

reprove   thee, 
Nor  thy  burnt  offerings,  always 
before  Me ; 

9.  I  will  take   no  kine   from  thy 

house, 
Nor  he-goats  out  of  thy  folds ; 

10.  For    all    beasts    of    the    forest 

are  Mine, 
The     cattle     on     a     thousand 
hills; 

11.  I    know    all    the    fowl    of    the 

mountains, 
And  the  creepers  of  the  field 
are  with  Me. 

12.  If    I    hunger,    I    will    not    tell 

thee 
For    Mine    is    the    world    and 
its    fulness. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


299 


13  Will  I  eat  the  flesh  of  bulls, 
or  drink  the  blood  of  goats? 

14  Offer  unto  God  thanksgiving; 
and  pay  thy  vows  unto  the  Most 
High: 

15  And  call  upon  me  in  the  day 
of  trouble :  I  v/ill  deliver  thee,  and 
thou  shalt  glorify  me. 

16  But  unto  the  wicked  God 
saith,  What  hast  thou  to  do  to 
declare  my  statutes,  or  that  thou 
shouldest  take  my  covenant  in  thy 
mouth? 

17  Seeing  thou  hatest  instruction, 
and  castest  my  words  behind  thee. 

18  When  thou  sawest  a  thief, 
then  thou  consentedst  with  him, 
and  hast  been  partaker  with  adul- 
terers. 

19  Thou  givest  thy  mouth  to 
evil,  and  thy  tongue  frameth  deceit. 

20  Thou  sittest  and  speakest 
against  thy  brother;  thou  slander- 
est  thine  own  mother's   son. 

21  These  things  hast  thou  done, 
and  I  kept  silence;  thou  thoughtest 
that  I  was  altogether  such  a  one 
as  thyself :  but  I  will  reprove  thee, 
and  set  them  in  order  before  thine 
eyes. 

22  Now  consider  this,  ye  that 
forget  God,  lest  I  tear  you  in 
pieces,  and  there  be  none  to  de- 
liver. 

23  Whoso  oflfereth  praise  glori- 
fieth  me:  and  to  him  that  ordereth 
his  conversation  aright  will  I  shew 
the   salvation   of   God. 


13.  Shall  I  eat  the  flesh  of  bulls, 
Or  drink  the  blood  of  goats? 

14.  Offer    unto    God    thank    offer- 

ing. 
And   pay    to   the    Highest   thy 
vows. 

15.  Callest    thou    Me    in    time    of 

trouble, 
I    will   save   thee;    and   honor 
thou  Me. 

(Selah.) 

16.  And  to  the  wicked   said  God: 
What    doest  thou,    telling    My 

statutes. 
And    uttering   My   covenant, 

17.  Whereas   thou   hast  hated   in- 

struction. 
And    cast    My    words    behind 
thee? 

18.  When    thou     sawest    a    thief, 

thou  didst  help  him ; 
And   with   adulterers  thy  por- 
tion. 

19.  Thy  mouth  thou  chargedst  with 

evil. 
And    thy   tongue    frameth    de- 
ceit. 

20.  Against   thy  brother   thou    sit- 

test  and   speakest, 
Thine  own  mother's  son  dost 
thou   slander. 

21.  Such    hast    thou    done    and    I 

was   still ; 
Thou    hast  deemed   Me  surely 
like    thee. 

I   accuse   thee,   and   set   it  be- 
fore  thee. 

22.  Consider   then   this,    forgetters 

of    God, 
Lest  I   rend,  and  none  rescue. 

23.  Who    offereth    thank   offering, 

honoreth  Me; 
Who  keepeth  the  way,  to  him 
will    I    show    the    salvation 
of  God. 


True  Religion 

This  is  a  didactic  Psalm,  a  sort  of  exposition  of  the  re- 
ligion of  Israel,  of  the  proper  place  of  sacrifice  in  that  re- 
ligion, and  of  the  place  of  the  Law.  Like  the  prophets  it  deals 
with  the  relation  of   Israel  to   itself   rather  than   to   the   outer 


300  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

world.  It  appears  to  belong  to  the  period  when  Hosea  and 
kindred  spirits  were  proclaiming  new  views  of  the  importance 
of  ethics  over  against  sacrifice,  and  those  had  been  or  were 
being  formulated  in  Deuteronomy.  It  depends  especially  on 
the  latter  book,  from  which  it  draws  its  setting,  and  to  which 
it  is  closely  akin  in  thought  and  language.  But  this  Deuteron- 
omy was  not  the  ultimate  Judean  law  book  of  Josiah's  refor- 
mation in  Judah,  but  the  original  Israelite  Deuteronomy  of 
Shechem.  As  a  liturgy  this  Psalm  was  apparently  designed 
for  use  with  thank  offerings  and  vows,  which  it  extols  as  over 
against  the  holocausts  and  continual  stated  sacrifices. 

The  first  stanza,  1-6,  represents  God  as  calling  earth  and 
heaven  to  attend  and  witness  while  He  comes  with  storm  and 
lightning,  as  at  Horeb  (Dt.  4,  5,  33  ^■*),  to  judge  His  people, 
those  that  sacrifice  to  Him  and  are  covenanted  with  Him,  i.  e., 
who  recognize  the  obligation  of  His  commandments  (Dt.  4"). 
El  Elohini  (1)  may  mean  God  of  gods,  as  1  have  rendered  it  (cf. 
82  ^),  or  the  two  words  may  be  two  names  of  God  brought  together 
as  honorific  titles.  To  these  was  added  later,  as  I  think,  in  a 
Judean  recension  of  the  Psalm,  Yahaweh  (cf.  Josh.  22").  The 
last  part  of  this  verse  is  used  in  113  ^  and  Mai.  2".  Verse  2 
represents  the  judgment  as  taking  place  at  Zion,  from  which  God 
shines  forth.  The  name  Zion  is  of  uncertain  origin.  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that  it  was  originally  the  title  for  God's  abode.  Ulti- 
mately it  came  to  mean  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  and  then 
Jerusalem  itself.  Such  I  think  is  the  meaning  here,  and  I  think 
this  verse  is  a  part  of  the  Judean  redaction,  most  appropriate 
after  the  reformation  of  Josiah  (2  K.  23),  but  not  in  harmony 
with  the  context,  which  repeats  the  picture  of  Deuteronomy 
(cf.  for  instance  Dt.  33^).  For  the  verse  itself  cf.  also 
48  2,  L^j^_  2^\  God  shone,  cf.  80S  9A\  The  first  Hne  of  3 
seems  to  be  a  gloss.  In  the  Hebrew  it  is  in  the  form  of  a 
prayer  to  God  to  show  Himself  and  not  to  be  deaf  to  the 
appeal  of  His  worshippers,  the  regular  use  in  the  Psalter  of 
the  verb  here  rendered  he  still.  It  is  used  in  Deutero-Isaiah 
(cf.  Is.  42",  57")  of  the  period  of  the  Exile,  when  the  Lord 
was  long  deaf  to  His  people.  God  in  the  storm,  and  God  as 
judge  (3,  4,  6),  here  combined,  are  common  to  Hebrew 
thought  from  the  earliest  times  to  the  latest.  Because  of  their 
common  dependence  on  Deuteronomy  the  phraseology  of  parts 
of  the  Prayer  of  Moses  closely  resemble  our  Psalm  (cf.  96  ^S 
97  '' «).    V.  4,  cf.  Dt.  4  -«,  32  ^  5,  cf.  Dt.  31 ''.    The  thought  of 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  301 

Israel  as  those  who  have  covenanted  with  God  (hterally  cut  a 
Covenant)  is  fundamental  to  Deuteronomy.  V.  6,  cf.  also 
89 '.  The  Deuteronomic  scene  is  dramatized  to  the  worshippers 
by  whom  this  liturgy  is  used,  much  as  we  dramatize  the 
original  Lord's  Supper  in  our  Holy  Communion.  V.  7,  the 
conference  is  assembled,  in  which  God  holds  council  with 
Israel,  as  in  Horeb;  and  so  here,  as  in  the  giving  of  the 
Law,  the  proclamation  God,  thy  God,  am  /,  but  in  the 
Elohistic,  Israelite  form  (cf.  Ex.  20  ^  Dt.  5  ^' «,  6*),  the 
fundament  of  Israelite  religion.  Stanza  2  (8-13)  deals  with 
sacrifice  in  the  general  spirit  of  the  prophets  Hosea  and  Isaiah 
(cf.  Hos.  6«,  Is.  12-20,  ps.  40,  51,69).  Sacrifice  is  not  a 
bribing  of  God  with  great  gifts  of  food,  as  though  He  needed 
to  be  fed,  or  the  offerings  they  offered  were  theirs  and  not 
His.  Huge  holocausts  or  continual  offerings  can  not  tempt 
nor  appease  Him.  But  (14-15)  the  offering  by  the  worshipper 
of  thank  offerings  in  loving  thankfulness  for  mercies  re- 
ceived, the  call  to  Him  in  distress  and  the  votive  oflFerings 
to  God  in  connection  therewith  these  shall  win  favor.  These  bind 
man  to  God  and  God  to  man  in  loving  kindness.  They  have 
elements  of  spiritual  communion  like  prayer  and  praise.  It  is  the 
point  of  view  which  from  Hosea  and  Isaiah  to  Jesus  and 
Paul  made  temple  sacrifices  a  means  of  grace  and  communion 
with  God  to  the  great  spiritual  leaders.  14,  cf .  69  ^°,  Hos.  14  2, 
Dt.  23  21.  15,  cf.  91  ^%  81  ^  Is.  29".  Save  thee,  i.  e.,  give  thee 
victory.  At  the  end  of  15  the  Greek  has  selah,  which  was 
probably  original. 

Stanza  3  (16-21  ''),  the  essential  element  of  the  covenant, 
however,  which  is  cut  or  made  by  sacrifice,  and  at  which  sacrifice 
aims,  is  the  law  of  God,  His  word  as  set  forth  in  the  Decalogue 
(Dt.  4").  This  stanza  is  full  of  the  same  spirit  as  Deu- 
teronomy and  the  prophets  Amos  and  Hosea,  as  well  as  the 
great  line  of  Judean  prophets  from  Isaiah  to  Malachi,  in 
denouncing  the  sin  of  Israel  and  Judah  in  professing  and  not 
keeping  those  commandments.  These  are  the  wicked  of  Israel 
(16).  Verses  16  and  17  in  thought  and  phraseology  are  char- 
acteristically Deuteronomic.  Three  of  the  ten  commandments 
are  here  specified  as  habitually  violated  by  the  professors  of 
Israel's  religion,  much  as  in  Christian  preaching  and  praying 
today,  the  8th  (18),  7th  (18),  and  9th  (19,  20).  It  is  because 
of  their  breach  of  the  covenant  of  God's  words  that  He  has 
kept  still,  and  not  answered  them  and  given  them  success  and 


302 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


victory  as  in  the  days  of  yore;  but  they  had  thought  He  was 
like  them,  either  lacking  in  power,  or  needing  to  be  fed  up 
with  more  sacrifices  (21^'").  This  is  the  thought  that  runs 
through  Deuteronomy.  It  is  the  call  of  Israel  anew  to  the 
religion  of  Moses,  accepting  and  using  sacrifices  and  the  rest 
of  the  popular  religion,  but  through  them  and  behind  them 
emphasizing  and  insisting  upon  as  essential  the  ethics  of  the 
Decalogue;  and  warning  and  instructing  (the  hated  instruction, 
17)  that  the  failure  to  keep  that  covenant  had  been  and  would 
be  the  cause  of  disaster,  for  God  would  be  still  toward  their 
prayer  and  their  sacrifice  and  abandon  them  to  their  foes. 
So,  21  °,  22,  in  the  same  Deuteronomic  method,  the  worshippers 
are  warned.  The  accusation  or  warning  has  been  set  before 
the  forgetters  of  God  (the  rare  form  Eloah,  the  singular  of 
Elohim,  God),  if  they  fail  to  heed  it  then  disaster  shall  ensue. 
But  if  with  a  penitent  heart  and  a  contrite  spirit  they  offer 
their  sacrifice,  with  full  intention  of  keeping  the  way,  i.  e., 
the  commandments,  then  the  sacrifice  is  accepted  (the  ordinary 
assurance  with  which  liturgies  close),  and  God  will  give  them 
victory  (23). 

In  spirit  and  idea  this  liturgy  is  the  same  as  our  Communion 
liturgies.  The  acceptance  of  the  sacrifice  for  us  is  dependent  on 
contrition,  hence  the  warnings  and  exhortation  with  which  we 
approach  it. 


LXXIII 

A  Psalm  of  Asaph. 


TRULY  God   is   good   to    Israel, 
even  to  such  as  are  of  a  clean 
heart. 

2  But  as  for  me,  my  feet  were 
almost  gone;  my  steps  had  well 
nigh  slipped. 

3  For  I  was  envious  at  the 
foolish,  when  I  saw  the  prosperity 
of  the  wicked. 

4  For  there  are  no  bands  in  their 
death :  but  their  strength  is  firm. 

5  They  are  not  in  trouble  as 
other  men ;  neither  are  they 
plagued  like  other  men. 

6  Therefore  pride  compasseth 
them  about  as  a  chain;  violence 
covereth  them  as  a  garment. 


1.  Surely  God  is  good  to  Israel, 

to  the  pure  of  heart. 

2.  And    I — my    feet   were   almost 

gone, 
My  steps  had  well  nigh  slipt ; 

3.  For     I     was     envious    of     the 

boasters, 
I    see    the    prosperity    of    the 
wicked. 

4.  For  they  suffer  not  the  pangs 

of    death, 
And  firm  is  their  strength; 

5.  They   are   not   In    trouble    like 

other  men, 
Nor   plagued   like   the   rest   of 
mankind. 

6.  Therefore  pride  is  their  neck- 

chain, 
They  are  clothed  with  a  mantle 
of    violence ; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


303 


7  Their  eyes  stand  out  with  fat- 
ness :  they  have  more  than  heart 
could  wish. 

8  They  are  corrupt,  and  speak 
wickedly  concerning  oppression : 
they   speak  loftily. 

9  They  set  their  mouth  against 
the  heavens,  and  their  tongue 
walketh  through  the  earth. 

10  Therefore  his  people  return 
hither :  and  waters  of  a  full  cup 
are   wrung   out  to   them. 

11  And  they  say.  How  doth  God 
know?  and  is  there  knowledge  in 
the  Most  High? 

12  Behold,  these  are  the  ungodly, 
who  prosper  in  the  world ;  they 
increase   in   riches. 

13  Verily  I  have  cleansed  my 
heart  in  vain,  and  washed  my 
hands  in  innocency. 

14  For  all  the  day  long  have  I 
been  plagued,  and  chastened  every 
morning. 

15  If  I  say,  I  will  speak  thus ; 
behold,  I  should  offend  against  the 
generation    of    thy    children. 

16  When  I  thought  to  know  this, 
it  was  too  painful  for  me; 

17  Until  I  went  into  the  sanc- 
tuary of  God,  then  understood  I 
their   end. 

18  Surely  thou  didst  set  them  in 
slippery  places :  thou  castedst  them 
down  into  destruction. 

19  How  are  they  brought  into 
desolation,  as  in  a  moment !  they 
are  utterly  consumed  with  terrors. 

20  As  a  dream  when  one 
awaketh ;  so,  O  Lord,  when  thou 
awakest,  thou  shalt  despise  their 
image. 

21  Thus  my  heart  was  grieved, 
and  I  was  pricked  in  my  reins. 

22  So  foolish  was  I,  and  ignor- 
ant :  I  was  as  a  beast  before  thee. 


7.  They   go   out    from   their   idol 

feasts, 
They  have  served  their  heart's 
images ; 

8.  In    scorn  they   speak   evil, 
Oppression  they  speak  from  on 

high; 

9.  They  have  set  m  heaven  their 

mouth. 
And  their  tongue  walketh  the 
earth. 

10.  (Therefore  He  will  bring  back 

His  people  hither,  when  the 
fulness  of  their  days  is 
found.) 

11.  And  they  say.  How  doth  God 

know? 
And,    Is    there  knowledge    in 
the    Most    High? 

12.  Behold   these   are   wicked   and 

prosper, 
They  ever  increase  in  wealth. 

13.  Surely  in  vain  have  I  cleansed 

my  heart. 
And  washed  my  hands  in  in- 
nocency ; 

14.  That   I    should   be  plagued   all 

the  day, 
And  chastened  every  morning. 

15.  (Said    I,    I    will    tell    it    thus, 
I  had  betrayed  the  generation 

of  Thy  children.) 

16.  Thought  I   to   understand  this, 
It  was  too  painful   for  me; 

17.  Until  I  come  into  God's  sanc- 

tuary. 
And    comprehend    their    latter 
end. 

18.  Surely    Thou    settest    them    in 

slippery  places. 
Thou  hast  cast  them  down  to 
destruction. 

19.  How    are    they    laid    waste    in 

a    moment ! 
Come    utterly  to    an    horrible 
end  I 

20.  (Like     a     dream     when     one 

awaketh, 
Oh    Lord,    in    the    city    Thou 
despisest    their    image; 

21.  For    my    heart    is    embittered, 
And    I     am     pricked     in     my 

reins.) 

22.  And    I— am    a    brute    that    I 

knew  not, 
A  monster  am  I  before  Thee. 


304 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


23  Nevertheless  I  am  continually 
with  thee:  thou  hast  holden  me 
by  my  right  hand. 

24  Thou  shalt  guide  me  with  thy 
counsel,  and  afterward  receive  me 
to  glory. 

25  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but 
thee?  and  there  is  none  upon  earth 
that  I  desire  besides  thee. 

26  My  flesh  and  my  heart 
faileth:  but  God  is  the  strength 
of  my  heart,  and  my  portion  for 
ever, 

27  For,  lo,  they  that  are  far 
from  thee  shall  perish :  thou  hast 
destroyed  all  them  that  go  a  whor- 
ing from  thee. 

28  But  it  is  good  for  me  to  draw 
near  to  God :  I  have  put  my  trust 
in  the  Lord  God,  that  I  may  de- 
clare all  thy  works. 


23.  And    I — am    continually    with 

Thee ; 
Thou   hast    holden    my    right 
hand. 

24.  By  Thy  counsel  Thou  guidest 

me. 
To   bring   me   to   honor   here- 
after. 

25.  Whom   have    I    in  heaven    but 

Thee? 
And    in    earth    desire    I    none 
beside   Thee. 

26.  When  soul  and  body  fail, 
My  heart's  rock  and  my  por- 
tion is  God  for  ever. 

27.  For  behold  they  that   are   far 

from    Thee   perish    , 
Thou  blottest   out   all   that  go 
whoring  from  Thee. 

28.  And    I — the    nearness    of    God 

is    my   joy. 
(I   have   made   the   Lord    (the 

Lord)    my    refuge) 
To  recount  all  that  Thou  hast 

wrought. 


God's  Plan  of  Punishment  and  Rczvard 

According  to  Deuteronomy,  if  Israel  kept  God's  command- 
ments he  should  be  victorious.  Virtue  is  rewarded,  vice,  the 
disregarding  of  God's  law,  punished.  This  precise  formula- 
tion of  the  ancient  doctrine  in  terms  of  ethics  brought  diffi- 
culties of  which  there  was  no  clear  consciousness  before.  Why 
was  pious  Israel  afflicted,  while  their  idolatrous  adversaries 
were  prosperous?  The  latter  troublous  days  of  Israel  brought 
this  question  to  the  fore ;  and  men  were  inclined  to  go  whoring 
after  foreign  gods  because  of  the  failure  of  Israel's  God  to 
succor  his  people.  Liturgies  of  that  period  give  evidence  of 
this  condition.  This  Psalm  seeks  the  solution  of  the  problem 
in  the  future,  by  faith,  to  be  won  through  sacrifice  and  wor- 
ship in  God's  house,  that  the  triumph  of  the  enemy  is  but 
momentary,  in  order  that  he  may  receive  the  more  terrible  destruc- 
tion; and  that  the  triumph  of  Israel  is  assured  hereafter,  if  he  but 
keep  the  faith  undefiled.  In  this  and  other  Psalms  of  this 
collection  there  are  numerous  passages  where  the  exact  ren- 
dering is  conjectural,  owing  to  syntactical  peculiarities,  or  to  the 
use  of  words  and  phrases  otherwise  unknown. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  305 

Verse  1  is  the  caption  or  theme  of  this  liturgy.  God's 
goodness  to  Israel  is  a  certainty,  if  Israel  will  be  faithful 
to  God,  worshipping  Him  only,  according  to  His  word.  But  Israel 
says,  i.  e.,  the  worshipper  is  made  to  say,  I  almost  forsook 
God,  because  I  saw  and  envied  the  prosperity  of  the  arrogant 
and  wicked  worshippers  of  false  gods,  who  scorned  God  and 
yet  are  allowed  to  oppress  His  people,  who  deny  and,  as  it  were, 
dethrone  God  and  yet  possess  the  earth  (2-12).  It  seems  use- 
less to  be  faithful  and  quite  unreasonable  unless  one  learns 
through  the  divine  revelation,  to  be  obtained  only  in  God's 
sanctuary,  the  future  as  well  as  the  present,  namely,  the  awful 
retribution  which  shall  come  upon  these  heathen  foes  (13-19)  ; 
and  on  the  other  hand  that  God  has  not  really  forsaken  Israel, 
but  is  leading  and  guiding  him,  and  preparing  for  him  final 
triumph  (20-26).  So  those  in  Israel  who  forsake  God  and 
go  whoring  after  strange  gods  are  warned  of  their  destruction 
(27),  but  the  faithful  worshipper  who  draws  near  to  God 
in  sacrifice  shall  have  a  foretaste  of  His  goodness,  as  he 
recounts  God's  wonders  of  old. 

Boasters    (3),    literally   those    who    sing   hallels,    or    praises. 
Neck  chain  (6),  among  the  Hebrews,  as  among  the  Babylonians, 
men  of  wealth  and  position   were  distinguished  by  the  neck- 
lace (cf.  Gen.  41  *",  Pr.  1  ^).    Verse  7,  literally,  He  (the  idol  wor- 
shipper) is  gone  out  from  the  fat  of  his  guilt  (so  Greek,  Hebrew 
eye)  ;  i.  e.,  the  sacrificial  feast  where  he  worshipped  {served  with 
a  change  of  r  to  d,  letters  very  similar  and  frequently  confused  in 
our  Hebrew  text)  carved  figures  of  his  own  heart's  lust.    Refer- 
ences to  idolatrous  worship  are  apt  to  be  very  obscure,  partly 
through  our  own  ignorance,  partly  through  the  ignorance  and 
consequent  misunderstanding  of  later  Jewish  scribes,  and  partly 
through  intentional  mystification  on  their  part.     Verse  10  is  a 
prose  gloss  of  a  late  scribe  who  looks  for  the  restoration  of  God's 
people  to  their  land  in  the  fullness  of  days,  and  was  suggested 
by  the  preceding  tvalketh  the  earth.     11,  cf.  Job  22^-.     God, 
Hebrew  El,  here  and  in  17,  a  characteristic  use  of  Asaph.    12,  cf. 
26  and  Jas.  4 «,  a  familiar  idea  at  all  times.     13  explains  the 
mystical  meaning  of  ritual  ablution,  a  symbol  of  inward  cleansing. 
15,  perhaps  a  pietistic  gloss,  meaning,  had  the  psalmist  said  the 
preceding  with  actual  intent  he  would  have  been  guilty  of  impiety. 
20,  21,  a  late  gloss.    Several  of  the  psalms  of  Asaph  are  suspected 
of  revision  in  the  stress  of  the  Maccabean  struggle.     This  looks 


306 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


like  a  reference  to  the  image  of  Zeus  set  up  in  the  Jerusalem 
Temple  by  Antiochus,  which  was  grief  and  anguish  to  this 
annotator  or  redactor.  22,  he  is  a  brute  beast  not  to  under- 
stand God's  plan.  Brute,  cf.  49 1°,  92';  monster,  plural 
of  excellence  of  the  word  beast,  i.  e.,  a  monster  beast,  a  title 
technically  applied  to  the  hippopotamus.  23,  holdcn  my  right 
hand,  reminds  of  Babylonian  and  Assyrian  representations  of  the 
sacrificer  led  by  the  right  hand  by  a  priest  or  a  god.  24,  cf.- 
32 «,  48".  Bring  to  honor,  cf.  49  ^^  25,  the  characteristic 
Deuteronomic  note,  God  alone  is  Israel's  God.  27,  the  faithless 
Israelite,  far  from  God ;  zvhoring,  i.  e.,  worshipping  other  gods, 
cf .  Hos.  4  1%  9  K  28,  /  have  made,  etc.,  is  a  late  double  gloss. 
Nearness,  of  faithful  Israelite  in  contrast  with  far  from  Thee 
of  27  (cf.  65*).  Joy,  literally  good.  That  Thou  hast  wrought, 
or  Thy  messages,  i.  e.,  the  things  told  by  God's  messengers.  The 
Greek  adds:   In  the  gates  of  the  daughter  of  Zion. 

This    was    used    as    a    hymn    for    morning    worship    in    the 
early   Christian  community. 


LXXIV 

Maschil  of  Asaph. 


OGOD,  why  hast  thou  cast  us 
off  for  ever?  why  doth  thine 
anger  smoke  against  the  sheep  of 
thy    pasture  ? 

2  Remember  thy  congregation, 
which  thou  hast  purchased  of  old ; 
the  rod  of  thine  inheritance,  which 
thou  hast  redeemed ;  this  mount 
Zion,   wherein  thou  hast  dwelt. 

3  Lift  up  thy  feet  unto  the 
perpetual  desolations ;  even  all  that 
the  enemy  hath  done  wickedly  in 
the    sanctuary. 

4  Thine  enemies  roar  in  the 
midst  of  thy  congregations;  they 
set  up  their  ensigns  for  signs. 

5  A  man  was  famous  according 
as_  he  had  lifted  up  axes  upon  the 
thick  trees. 

6  But  now  they  break  down  the 
carved  work  thereof  at  once  with 
axes   and  hammers. 


1.  Why,  oh  God,  hast  Thou  cast 

us   off    forever? 
Smoketh    Thy    wrath    toward 
the    sheep   of    Thy   pasture? 

2.  Remember    Thy    congregation 

which  Thou  gottest  of  old, 
The  tribe  of  Thine  inheritance 

Thou  didst  redeem. 
In  Mount  Zion  wherein  Thou 

hast  dwelt, 

3.  Thy  footsteps  mount  to  utter 

ruins ; 
AH    has    the    foe    marred    in 
the  shrine. 

4.  Thine    adversaries     roared     in 

Thine   assembly; 
They     set     up     as     standards 
their   standards. 

5.  (They  seemed  like  men  lifting 

on  high  axes  in  a  thicket 
of  trees ;  and  naw  their 
carved  work 


6.     Also       they       shatter 
hatchets   and   adzes.) 


with 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


307 


7  They  have  cast  fire  into  thy 
sanctuary,  they  have  defiled  by 
casting  dozen  the  dwelling  place  of 
thy   name   to   the   ground. 

8  They  said  in  their  hearts,  Let 
us  destroy  them  together :  they 
have  burned  up  all  the  synagogues 
of  God  in  the  land. 

9  We  see  not  our  signs :  there  is 
no  more  any  prophet:  neither  is 
there  among  us  any  that  knoweth 
how  long. 

10  O  God,  how  long  shall  the 
adversary  reproach?  shall  the 
enemy  blaspheme  thy  name  for 
ever? 

11  Why  withdrawest  thou  thy 
hand,  even  thy  right  hand?  pluck 
it  out  of  thy  bosom. 

12  For  God  is  my  King  of  old, 
working  salvation  in  the  midst  of 
the    earth. 

13  Thou  didst  divide  the  sea  by 
thy  strength :  thou  brakest  the 
heads  of  the  dragons  in  the  waters. 

14  Thou  brakest  the  heads  of 
leviathan  in  pieces,  and  gavest  him 
to  be  meat  to  the  people  inhabiting 
the  wilderness. 

15  Thou  didst  cleave  the  fountain 
and  the  flood :  thou  driedst  up 
mighty  rivers. 

16  The  day  is  thine,  the  night 
also  is  thine :  thou  hast  prepared 
the  Hght  and  the  sun. 

17  Thou  hast  set  all  the  borders 
of  the  earth :  thou  hast  made  sum- 
mer   and    winter. 

18  Remember  this,  that  the 
enemy  hath  reproached,  O  Lord, 
and  that  the  foolish  people  have 
blasphemed   thy   name. 

19  O  deliver  not  the  soul  of  thy 
turtledove  unto  the  multitude  of 
the  wicked :  forget  not  the  con- 
gregation of  thy  poor  for  ever. 


7.  They    set    fire  to    Thy    sanc- 

tuary, 

They  profaned  to  the  ground 

the    dwelling  of  Thy   name. 

8.  They     said.     Let     us     destroy 

them  altogether ; 
They  burned  all  the  assemblies 
of  God  in  the  land. 

9.  Our  signs  we  see  not ; 
There  is  no  more  a  prophet, 
Nor  have  we  any  that  knows 

a    How   long. 

10.  How   long,   oh   God,   shall   the 

foe  blaspheme? 
And    the    enemy    revile    Thy 
name   for   ever? 

11.  Why    withdrawest    Thou    Thy 

hand, 
Thy    right    hand    within    Thy 

bosom? 

Selah. 

12.  And   God   is  my   king   of   old, 
Working     salvations     in     the 

midst   of   the   land. 

13.  Thou     didst     rend     by     Thy 

strength    the    sea. 
Didst     shiver     the     heads     of 
dragons    on    the    waters ; 

14.  Thou   crushedst   the   heads   of 

Leviathan, 
Thou    givest   him    as    food    to 
the   people   of   the   desert. 

15.  Thou  didst  cleave  out  fountain 

and    stream. 
Thou  didst  dry  up  everflowing 
rivers. 

16.  Thine  the  day.  Thine  also  the 

night. 
Thou    appointedst    moon    and 
sun. 

17.  Thou  didst  fix  all  the  bounds 

of   earth ; 
Summer     and     winter.     Thou 
didst   form  them. 

18.  Remember     how     the     enemy 

blasphemed   Thee, 
And   a    foolish   people   reviled 
Thy   name. 

19.  Give    not    to    death    Thy    be- 

liever 
The     life     of     Thine     afflicted 
forget  not  for  ever. 


308 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


20  Have  respect  unto  the  coven- 
ant: for  the  dark  places  of  the 
earth  are  full  of  the  habitations  of 
cruelty. 

21  O  let  not  the  oppressed  re- 
turn ashamed :  let  the  poor  and 
needy  praise  thy  name. 

22  Arise,  O  God,  plead  thine 
own  cause :  remember  how  the 
foolish  man  reproacheth  thee  daily. 

23  Forget  not  the  voice  of  thine 
enemies :  the  tumult  of  those  that 
rise  up  against  thee  increaseth 
continually. 


20.  (Regard     the     covenant,     for 

earth's   dark  places  are   fuU 
of   habitations   of   violence.) 

21.  Be      not      the      downtrodden 

further  confounded; 
Let  the  poor  and   needy   sing 
praise    to    Thy  name. 

22.  Arise,     oh     God,     strive     Thy 

strife, 
Remember      how      the      fool 
blasphemeth  Thee  alway. 

23.  God,    forget    not    the    cry    of 

Thine    adversaries, 
The  shout  of  Thine  assailants 
that  ever  ariseth. 


Why  Smoketh  Thy  Wrath 

Beginning  with  the  downfall  of  Samaria  in  721  this  Psalm 
was  adopted  and  adapted  to  fit  the  calamities  of  Israelites 
and  Jews  down  to  a  very  late  period.  It  reflects  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadrezzar  and  the  Babylonian  cap- 
tivity; possibly  also  the  Antiochian  persecution  and  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Maccabean  struggle.  These  revisions  and 
adaptations  have  been  so  woven  into  the  Psalm  that  it  is 
difficult  if  not  impossible  to  separate  in  any  detail  old  from 
new.  It  has  certain  marked  characteristics  of  the  Asaph 
Psalter,  its  predilection  for  the  use  of  El  as  designation  of  God, 
its  appeal  to  God  in  the  name  and  by  the  use  of  the  old 
story  of  the  Egyptian  deliverance  and  the  marvels  of  the 
conquest  of  Canaan.  It  most  closely  resembles  79,  and  next 
to  that  7^  and  77.  It  reminds  one  also  of  the  composte 
Korahitic  Psalm  44  by  its  appeal  in  present  distress  to  the 
triumphant  days  of  old;  but  there  the  two  parts  are  kept 
separate,  here  they  are  almost  inextricably  interwoven.  As  a 
consequence  of  the  revisions  and  glossations  it  has  undergone 
the  text  is  in  places  very  difficult,  and  the  translations  throw 
little  or  no  light.  Evidently  at  the  time  when  the  earliest 
Greek  translation  was  made  the  text  was  in  a  state  of  con- 
fusion. I  have  ventured  on  a  very  few  conjectural  emenda- 
tions, which  do  not  involve,  however,  changes  in  more  than 
two  or  three  letters  of  the  Hebrew  consonant  text. 

Verse  1  is  the  caption  or  theme  of  the  present  Psalm,  and 
seems  to  belong  to  the  time  of  the  downfall  of  Samaria.    Smok- 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  309 

eth    Thy   wrath,    cf.    80  ^   89  ^«,   Dt.    29  ^^   and   also    Is.    18 ». 
Cast  us  off  forever,  44  ^\  77 «,  79 »,  Lam.  3  5^     Sheep  of  Thy 
pasture,  79",  95  ^  100  ^  Jer.  23  S  Ez.  34  ^^     The  first  stanza, 
2-11,  commences  with  the  plea  for  remembrance,   followed  by 
a  narration  of   the  blasphemous   deeds   of   the   heathen   adver- 
saries,  repeated  again  in   18  and  22.     Verse  2  seems  to  be  a 
part  of  the  Israelite  Psalm.    Gottest  of  old,  cf.  Ex.  15  ^  Dt.  32  ^ 
Thine  inheritance,  Dt.  32  ^     Redeem,  77  ^',  Ex.   15".     Verses 
3-9  appear  to  belong  to  later  revisions,  based  in  part  perhaps 
on    older    material.      3    depicts    the    utter    destruction    of    the 
temple    at  Jerusalem    by    Nebuchadrezzar.      If    God    were    to 
return    to    the    shrine    where    He    once    dwelt    (cf.    Ez.),    and 
mount  up  to  His  sanctuary.  He  would  walk  over  perpetual  ruins 
(cf.   Is.   61  ^   also   Ps.  70 1).     Verse  4,   where  once   the  wor- 
shipping multitudes   shouted   in  the  place   of   assembly    (or  at 
the     time     of     solemn     feasts)     hostile     armies     have     roared 
(Lam.  2  0-     Where  in  former  days  stood  the  standards,  em- 
blems or  symbols,  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel   (Num.  2  2), 
the    standards    of    the    Babylonian    army    have    been    erected. 
Verses   5  and  6  seem  to  be  a  prose  gloss  of  the  student  or 
scholarly  type,  containing  late  words,   and  based  on  study  of 
historical  texts,  like  1  K.  6  ^«-",  describing  the  beautiful  wood- 
work,  and   the   metal  overlay,   or   carved  work,  of    Solomon's 
temple  (but  cf.  also  1  Mac.  1  ^).     Verse  7  appears  to  refer  to 
the  burning  of  the  Temple  by   Nebuchadrezzar    (2  K.  25*-", 
Jer.  52^2-^^),  but   for  the  phrase  profaned   to   the  ground   cf. 
89  '*°.     Verse  8,  the  destruction  of  the  whole  race,  could  refer 
with  equal  accuracy  to  the  destruction  of  the  Israelite  nation 
by  Sargon.  or  of  the  Judean  by  Nebuchadrezzar   (but  cf.  also 
the  story  of  the  Antiochian  persecution  in  1   Mac).     So  also 
the  burning  of  the  assernUies  of  God.     In  late  use  the  word 
here    translated    assemblies    means    synagogues,    and    this    has 
therefore   by   many   been   ascribed   to   the   Antiochian   persecu- 
tion-  but  it   may   also   mean   any  place   of    assembly,   and   the 
addition    here    of    God    (El)    suggests    early    Israelite    use,    a 
reference  to  the  destruction  of  such  places  of  religious,  national 
assembly  as  Dan,  Shechem  and  Bethel.     Our  signs   (9),  cf.  4. 
Prophet,  etc.,  sounds  like  1  Mac.  4^«,  9",  14*^,  and  therefore 
this  yprse  has  also  frequently  been  assigned    (and  with  it  by 


310  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

some  the  whole  Psalm,  which  is  quite  impossible)  to  the  time 
of  the  Maccabean  struggle  (165  B.  C.  or  thereabouts).  But 
we  find  the  same  complaint  about  the  failure  of  prophecy  in 
Zech.  13  ^"°,  and  still  much  earlier  in  Lam.  2  ^,  and  it  might 
perhaps  equally  as  well  be  referred  to  the  exilic  period.  Any 
that  knozus  a  How  long,  i.  e.,  a  Psalmist,  a  phrase  familiar 
in  ancient  Babylonian  use.  Then,  with  10,  we  pick  up  the 
original  Israelite  Psalm,  which  was  a  How  long  (cf.  for  this 
verse  44^°).  Its  thought  is  resumed  in  18.  Verse  11,  with- 
drawest  Thou  Thy  hand,  cf .  Lam.  2  ^^.  God  is  conceived  of 
as  standing  apathetic  toward  the  straits  of  His  people,  His 
mighty  right  hand  in  His  bosom,  i.  e.,  the  folds  of  His  gar- 
ment. The  reverse  figure,  the  stretching  forth  of  His  right 
hand  to  rescue  His  people,  or  give  them  victory,  is  common 
in  Psalm  literature.  The  verse  ends  with  what  seems  an 
impossible  word  (see  the  translations),  which  by  the  change  of 
of  the  first  letter  becomes  the  sclah  which  we  might  naturally 
expect  at  this  point. 

The  second  stanza  (12-17)  is  of  a  form  characteristic  of 
Israelite  psalmody  (44,  89),  but  especially  of  the  Asaph  Psalter 
{77,  7^),  later  followed  in  post-exilic  psalmody  (cf.  105, 
106,  135,  136),  the  narration  of  the  wonders  of  the  past  as  an 
appeal  to  God  to  so  act  in  present  distress.  So  also  the  open- 
ing phrase  (12),  God,  my  king  (cf.  44'*),  which  becomes  later 
familiar  in  the  Prayer  of  Moses  (90-99).  Salvation,  i.  e., 
victories.  Then  follow  the  dividing  of  the  sea  (13  cf.  Ex.  ' 
14  21  a ^  Ps.  78^^),  the  smiting  of  the  rock  in  the  wilderness 
to  give  water,  and  the  drying  up  of  the  Jordan  (15,  cf.  78^^'^', 
Ex.  17 «,  Num.  20  8,  jg  4321^  jog^.  3^  but  note  that  the  last 
half  of  15  is  wanting  in  the  Greek  text).  This  seems  to  be 
derived  from  Israelite  sources,  and  the  phrase  everflowing 
rivers  is  found  elsewhere  only  in  Dt.  21  *,  Am.  5  ^*.  These 
historical  references  are  combined  with  a  mythology  which 
appears  to  be  ancient,  but  is  known  to  us  chiefly  from  later 
literature,  in  the  Bible  itself,  and  in  Enoch  and  similar  Apocry- 
phal literature,  of  the  serpent  and  leviathan  (cf .  89  ^°,  104  ^', 
Ez.  293-=,  32 «,  Job  3»,  40,  41,  Is.  27  ^  51  «0-  The  serpent  and 
leviathan  are  cosmic  monsters  which  play  a  large  part  in  the 
late  Hebrew  cosmogony  and  eschatology,  the  one  properly  a 
monster  of  the  abyss  beneath  the  earth,  the  other  of  the  deep. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  311 

One  or  the  other  of  them  is  frequently  used  mystically  of  the 
great  enemies  of  Israel,  Babylon  and  Egypt,  or  even  identified 
with  the  Egyptian  hippopotamus.  Verse  14  seems  to  be  a  later 
duplicate  of  13,  referring  to  the  feeding  of  the  Israelites  with 
manna  or  quails  or  both  ir.  the  wildernes?  and  connecting  it 
with  the  myth  which  appears  in  the  later  eschatology  of  the 
feeding  of  the  faithful  in  the  latter  days  with  the  flesh  of 
Leviathan.^  Verse  16  depends  apparently  on  Gen.  1  "■^^  but 
17*  is  earlier  (cf.  Dt.  32^).  We  seem  to  have  in  this  stanza 
an  early  hymn  worked  over  up  to  a  late  date,  the  later  inter- 
woven with  the  earlier  elements  to  make  one  whole. 

Stanza  3  (18-21)  resumes  the  remember  of  stanza  1  (cf. 
2  and  18).  I  have  corrected  the  text  of  18  from  the  almost 
identical  10.  Fool  is  a  title  of  the  heathen  adversaries  (cf. 
U\  53  \  Dt.  32").  In  verse  19  I  have  corrected  by  the 
change  of  one  letter  an  apparently  impossible  text.  Here  we 
have  the  familiar  identification  of  the  observer  of  the  Law  with 
the  poor  and  needy,  or  the  afiflicied,  as  designations  of  God's 
people.  20  in  its  present  form  is  a  prose  gloss,  but  may  be  a 
corruption  of  an  original  and  old  verse  referring  to  the  Deu- 
teronomic  covenant.  21  prepares  the  way  for  the  closing  sac- 
rificial summons  to  God  to  appear  (22,  23),  with  the  familiar 
phrases  arise,  strike,  etc. ;  and  the  condemnation  or  curse, 
connected  with  the  preceding  {remember,  blasphemcth,  and  the 
cry  and  tumult  of  the  adversaries  in  the  Temple  courts,  (cf.  2, 
18,  10,  4). 

In  the  final  shape  in  which  it  has  come  down  to  us,  and  in 
spite  of  its  text  difficulties,  this  is  a  forceful  Psalm.  Those 
evidences  of  growth,  of  a  use  through  periods  of  stress  and 
struggle  and  almost  despair,  each  of  which  has  left  its  mark, 
make  it  peculiarly  interesting  and  appealing.  It  became  to 
Christians  because  of  this  a  hymn  of  need  in  desperate  straits. 
It  was  one  of  the  fighting  Psalms  of  the  Covenanters  of  Scot- 
land and  the  Cevenoles  of  France. 


^  See  my  discussion  of  the  various  passages  dealing  with  Leviathan, 
Rahab,  the  crooked  serpent,  etc.,  in  article  Cosmogony  in  Hasting's 
Encyclopaedia  of  Religion  and  Ethics. 


312  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

LXXV 

To  the  chief  musician    Al-taschith,  A  Psalm  or  Song  of  Asaph. 


UNTO  thee,  O  God,  do  we  give 
thanks,  unto  thee  do  we  give 
thanks :  for  that  thy  name  is  near 
thy  wondrous  works  declare. 

2  When  I  shall  receive  the  con- 
gregation   I    will    judge    uprightly. 

3  The  earth  and  all  the  inhabi- 
tants thereof  are  dissolved :  I  bear 
up   the   pillars   of   it.     Selah. 

4  I  said  unto  the  fools,  Deal  not 
foolishly:  and  to  the  wicked,  Lift 
not  up  the  horn: 

5  Lift  not  up  your  horn  on 
high :   speak  not  with  a  stiff  neck. 

6  For  promotion  cometh  neither 
from  the  east,  nor  from  the  west, 
nor  from  the  south. 

7  But  God  is  the  judge:  he 
putteth  down  one,  and  setteth  up 
another. 

8  For  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
there  is  a  cup,  and  the  wine  is 
red ;  it  is  full  of  mixture ;  and  he 
poureth  out  of  the  same :  but  the 
dregs  thereof,  all  the  wicked  of 
the  earth  shall  wring  them  out  and 
drink  them. 

9  But  I  will  declare  for  ever; 
I  will  sing  praises  to  the  God  of 
Jacob. 

10  All  the  horns  of  the  wicked 
also  will  I  cut  off;  but  the  horns 
of   the   righteous   shall   be   exalted. 


L    We  give  thanks  to  Thee,  God, 
we    give    thanks ; 
And       Thy       nearness       Thy 
wonders    declared. 

2.  "For  I  make  solemn  assembly, 
I    will    judge    righteously. 

3.  Be  the   land   dissolved  and  all 

that    dwell    there, 
I     have    ordered    its    pillars." 
Selah. 

4.  I   said   to  the   boasters,   Boast 

not. 
And  to    the   godless.    Lift   not 
your  horn. 

5.  Lift    not    up    your    horn    on 

high. 
Speak    no    arrogance    against 
the  Rock. 

6.  For     not     from     sunrise     nor 

sunset. 
Neither  from  the  wilderness  is 
lifting  up. 

7.  For  God  judgeth; 

This    He    casteth    down,    and 
this   He  lifteth   up. 

8.  For  (a  cup  in  the  Lord's  hand, 

and)  the  wine  is  red,  full 
of  spice,  and  He  poureth 
therefrom ; 
Surely  its  dregs  all  the  god- 
less of  the  earth  shall  drain 
(drink). 

9.  And   I  will  tell  it  for  ever. 
Will    chant    unto    the    God    of 

Jacob : 
10.     "And    all    the    horns    of    the 
godless   I  hew  off." 
Lifted  up  be  the  horns  of  the 
righteous  1 


Vintage  Song 

According  to  the  heading  it  was  an  al  tashheth  (destroy  not), 
i.  e.,  a  vintage  song  for  the  plucking  and  trampling  of  the 
grapes  (cf.  Introduction).  It  dramatizes  the  grapes  which 
are  plucked  and  trodden  in  the  wine  press  as  enemies,  who 
boast  and  lift  up  the  horn  (4,  5),  The  vintage  is  their  as- 
sizes   (2,    7).      One    feels    the   trampling    of    the    grapes,    the 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  313 

spurting  of  the   red  juice,  drained  out  under  the   feet   of   the 
tramplers    (8)  ;  one  sees  the  horns  of  the  insolent  grapevines 
cut  or  hewn  off  (10)  to  be  cast  into  the  wine  press.     Originally 
this  and  similar   Psalms  may  have  been  battle  hymns,  but  as 
we    have   a    wedding    hymn    in   45,  so    in    the   vintage    hymns 
we   may   have   Psalms   composed   and   intended    for   that   pur- 
pose, cast  in  dramatic,  warlike  and  religious  forms  and  terms, 
as  are  the  fantasias  of  the  peasants  today.    (As  pointed  out  under 
Ps.  23  we  have  in  Babylonian  psalmody  liturgies   for  various 
trades  or  occupations.)     As  they  have  come  down  to  us  they  are 
in  the  regular  mold  of  the  Temple  liturgies.    So  this  Psalm  opens 
with  what  sounds  like  the  Thank  Offering  (1  cf.  79^^).     Thy 
nearness,  literally  the  nearness  of  Thy  name;  name  standing  for 
the   one  named,   i.  e.,   God.     His  presence   is   revealed  by   His 
wondrous  works.    The  singer,  thus  showing  his  consciousness  of 
God's  presence,  God,  thus  revealed,  speaks  to  announce  the  solemn 
assembly  or  assizes  for  judgment  on  the  world.    /  make,  literally 
/  take,  i.  e.,  I  take  and  bring  the  people  (for  the  vintage  song,  the 
grapes)  to  the  place  of  assembly  for  judgment.    The  idea  and 
representation  of   God  as   judge   is  common,   especially  in  the 
Asaph   Psalter.     Judge  righteously,  cf .   98 '.      V.   3,   though  it 
may  seem  that  the  land  and  the  people  of  Israel  are  about  to 
be  dissolved  in  disaster,  know  that  that  can  never  be,  for  the 
pillars  on  which  the  world  rests  are   ordered  or  regulated  by 
Me.     Both  are  familiar  figures.     For  dissolved,  etc.,  cf .  46  ",  Is. 
24 1»;  for  pillars,  24  2,  1  Sam.  2 «,  Job  38**^.     Verses  4  and  5, 
cf.    94*.      Horn,    a    familiar    figure,    cf.    89  ^^' -^    92 1°,    112  ^ 
1    Sam.   2  ^'  ^°,   Zech.  1  -^.      Rock   as    designation   of    God,    Dt. 
32  2-  \  1  Sam.  2  ""■  ^  Hab.  1  ^^  and  frequently  in  Psalms.     Verse 
6,  it  is  not  the  sun  passing  from  east  to  west  over  the  southern 
wilderness,   nor   any   other  power  but  God  alone   from   whom 
comes  hfting  up  and  casting  down   (7  cf.   1   Sam.  2^).     In  8 
there    seem    to    be    two    interpretative    or    explanatory    glosses, 
which   are   indicated   by   brackets.      The   figure   of  the   cup   of 
reeling  is  common  (cf.  11 «,  60  ^  Jer.  25""^°,  49 1=,  SH,  Lam. 
4  2\  Ez.  23  ^^i,  Hab.  2  ^\  Is.  51  ",  Ob.  16).    Spice,  cf.  Pr.  23  ^°. 
Verse  9  resembles  the  praise  cry  with  which  liturgies  usually 
end.     God  of  Jacob,  characteristic  of  Israelite  Psalms.     Verse 
10  combines  the  closing  curse  of  the  foe  (in  the  vintage  imagined 
as  grapes)  and  blessing  of  Israel  in  one.     Cut  off  horn,  cf,  Jer. 
48  " ;  exalt  horn,  cf .  89  '\  92  '\  148  ". 


314 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


LXXVI 


IN    Judah    is    God    known :     his 
name    is   great   in    Israel. 

2  In  Salem  also  is  his  tabernacle, 
and  his  dwellingplace  in  Zion. 

3  There  brake  he  the  arrows  of 
the  bow,  the  shield,  and  the  sword, 
and   the   battle.     Selah. 

4.  Thou  art  more  glorious  and 
excellent  than  the  mountains  of 
prey. 

5  The  stouthearted  are  spoiled, 
they  have  slept  their  sleep :  and 
none  of  the  men  of  might  have 
found   their  hands. 

6  At  thy  rebuke.  O  God  of 
Jacob,  both  the  chariot  and  horse 
are   cast  into   a   dead   sleep. 

7  Thou,  even  thou,  art  to  be 
feared :  and  who  may  stand  in  thy 
sight   when    once   thou   art    angry? 

8  Thou  didst  cause  judgment  to 
be  heard  from  heaven ;  the  earth 
feared,   and   was   still, 

9  When  God  arose  to  judgment, 
to  save  all  the  meek  of  the  earth. 
Selah. 

10  Surely  the  wrath  of  man  shall 
praise  thee :  the  remainder  of 
wrath   shalt  thou   restrain. 

11  Vow,  and  pay  unto  the  Lord 
your  God :  let  all  that  be  round 
about  him  bring  presents  unto 
him   that   ought  to   be   feared. 

12  He  shall  cut  off  the  spirit  of 
princes,  he  is  terrible  to  the  kings 
of   the  earth. 


1.  In  Judah  is  God  known, 

Hjs   name   is   great   in    Israel; 

2.  Whose  tent  is  in  Salem, 
And  in  Zion  His  abode. 

3.  There  brake  He  the  shafts  of 

the    bow. 
Shield,  and  sword,  and  battle. 

Selah. 

4.  Thou  shinest  terribly  from  the 

everlasting    hills. 

5.  The    proud-hearted    have    slept 

their  sleep; 
And     of     the     warriors     none 
have   escaped. 

6.  At    Thy    rebuke,    oh    God    of 

Jacob, 
Horsemen  and  chariots   slum- 
ber. 

7.  Awful  art  Thou,  oh  God; 
And     who     standeth     before 

Thee    what    time    Thou    art 
wroth? 

8.  From     heaven     Thou     gavest 

sentence ; 
Earth   feared,  and  was  still, 

9.  When  God  arose  to  judgment, 

earth. 

Selah. 

10.  For     man's     violence     giveth 

thanks  to  Thee, 
The    remnant    of    the    violent 
hold   feast  to  Thee. 

11.  Vow    and    pay  -your    vows    to 

the  Lord  your  God, 
All  that  are  around  Him  bring 
gifts  to  the  Awful  One, 

12.  Who  cutteth  off  the  breath  of 

princes, 
Who    is    feared    of    the    kings 
of   earth. 


God's  Judgment 

An  original  Israelite  Psalm  has  been  here  so  combined  with 
Judean  material  as  to  contribute  a  composite  of  the  sort  which 
the  Pentateuchal  critics  call  JE,  i.  e.,  an  indissoluble  combina- 
tion of  the  Jehovistic  and  Elohistic  narratives.  A  good  exam- 
ple of  this  sort  of  combination  is  the  Blessing  of  Jacob,  Gen. 
49,  where  we  find  Judah  the  chief  in  verses  8-12,  and  Joseph 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  315 

in  22-26.  Here  Judah  dominates  in  the  first  stanza,  1-3 ;  but 
the  second,  4-9,  is  IsraeHte ;  yet  each  is  incomplete  without  the 
other.  It  is  a  Hturgy  for  the  sacrifice  of  vows  or  free  will 
offerings  after  a  victory.  At  places  the  text  is  dif^cult  and 
apparently  corrupt,  and  seems  to  have  been  so  at  the  time 
when  the  Greek  translation  was  made.  Salem  (2)  apparently 
Jerusalem,  as  in  the  singular  narrative  of  Abraham's  victory 
over  Chedorlaomer  (Gen.  14^*).  Tent,  a  similarly  archaic  title 
for  the  Temple  (cf.  27  \  Lam.  2).  For  3,  cf.  Hos.  2  2°. 
Everlasting  hills  (4),  cf.  Dt.  33^'.  So  the  Greek  translation, 
and  in  general  modern  critics.  The  God  of  Israel  was  by 
repute  a  God  of  the  mountains,  1  K.  20  ^^  Hebrew  has 
mountains  of  prey,  followed  by  an  explanatory  gloss  in  the 
Aramaic  tongue,  they  are  spoiled.  Terribly  or  terrible  (4),  a 
term  used  of  other  gods  in  1  Sam,  4  ^ ;  of  Yahaweh,  93  *,  and 
of  His  name,  8  ^^  Proud  hearted  (5),  with  evil  meaning,  cf. 
Is.  46 ^  Slept  their  sleep  (5),  cf.  2  K.  19,  Jud.  7,  1  K.  2^'-^\ 
2  K.  7.  None  have  escaped,  Heb. '  found  their  hands  unintel- 
ligible. Basing  on  this  verse,  and  referring  it  to  the  overthrow 
of  Sennacherib's  army,  the  Greek  has  prefixed  to  this  Psalm 
the  heading  For  the  Assyrian.  God  of  Jacob  (6),  a  common  title 
in  Israelite  Psalms,  cf .  75  ^^  81  ^"^  Verse  7,  the  Hebrew  reads : 
Thou  art  awful.  Thou,  apparently  an  error.  Verses  8  and  9, 
the  judgment  of  God,  a  favorite  motive,  especially  in  Asaph 
Psalter,  cf.  75.  If  the  text  of  10  is  correct  (there  is  no  other 
similar  use),  this  verse  would  appear  to  mean  that  even  those 
who  have  warred  against  Israel's  God,  or  the  remnant  of 
them  which  was  captured,  shall  be  made  slaves  and  attendants 
in  God's  shrine,  a  common  practice  until  the  Exile  certainly  (cf. 
the  case  of  the  Gibeonites),  and  so  perforce  assistants  at  the  sac- 
rifices (giveth  thanks)  and  festivals  of  God.  Hold  feast,  so  the 
Greek,  which  is  confirmed  by  the  parallelism.  The  Hebrew  by 
change  of  one  letter  has  Thou  girdest,  which  makes  no  sense.  The 
last  stanza  is  the  sacrificial  cry  (10,  11),  and  the  curse  (12)  of 
the  adversary.  The  combination  of  Yahaweh  and  Elohim  (11) 
reminds  of  Deuteronomy  as  it  has  come  down  to  us  in  the  Judean 
recension.    For  this  verse  cf .  68  "^  Is.  18  \ 

Its  evident  character  as  a  Psalm  of  deliverance  of  God's 
people  through  an  utter  destruction  of  their  foes  by  Him  caused 
this    Psalm    to   be   used    as    a   national    song   of    thanksgiving 


316 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


by  the  English  after  the  defeat  of  the  Spanish  Armada.  It 
was  similarly  used  by  the  Scotch  Covenanters  after  the  defeat 
of  Claverhouse  at  Drumclog,  June  1,  1679.  It  was  the  second 
verse  of  this  Psalm  from  which  was  derived  the  name  of  the 
town  of  Salem,  in  Massachusetts. 


LXXVII 

To  the  chief  musician  to  Jeduthum,  A  Psalm  of  Asaph. 


I    CRIED      unto     God      with    my 
voice,   even   unto   God   with   my 
voice;   and   he  gave   ear  unto   me. 

2  In  the  day  of  my  trouble  I 
sought  the  Lord :  my  sore  ran  in 
the  night,  and  ceased  not :  my  soul 
refused   to   be   comforted. 

3  I  remembered  God,  and  was 
troubled :  I  complained,  and  my 
spirit  was  overwhelmed.      Selah. 

4  Thou  boldest  mine  eyes  wak- 
ing: I  am  so  troubled  that  I 
cannot  speak. 

5  I  have  considered  the  days  of 
old,    the   years    of    ancient  times. 

6  I  call  to  remembrance  my 
song  in  the  night :  I  commune  with 
mine  own  heart :  and  my  spirit 
made  diligent  search. 

7  Will  the  Lord  cast  off  for 
ever?  and  will  he  be  favourable 
no   more? 

8  Is  his  mercy  clean  gone  for 
ever?  doth  his  promise  fail  for 
evermore? 

9  Hath  God  forgotten  to  be 
gracious?  hath  he  in  anger  shut 
up  his   tender  mercies?     Selah. 

10  And  I  said,  This  is  my  in- 
firmity :  but  J  zvill  remember  the 
years  of  the  right  hand  of  the 
Most    High. 

11  I  will  remember  the  works 
of  the  Lord:  surely  I  will  re- 
member thy  wonders  of  old. 


1.  My  voice  unto  God,  and  I  cry 

out; 
My  voice   unto   God — and   He 
gave  ear  to  me. 

2.  In   the    day   of    my   distress    I 

sought   God, 

My  hand  by  night  was  spread 
out  ceaselessly, 

My  soul  refused  to  be  com- 
forted. 

3.  I  make  memorial   to   God  and 

lament, 
I    make    plaint    and   my    spirit 
fainteth. 

Selah. 

4.  I  constrained  mine  eyelids, 

I    beat    my  breast    and    spake 
not. 
.X     I   recounted  the   days  of  old; 

The  years  of  the  past  I  re- 
call. 

6.  I    made    melody    in    the  night 

by  myself, 
I  made  plaint  and  searched  my 
spirit. 

7.  Will    the    Lord    cast    off    for 

all  time? 
And  never  again  show  favor? 

8.  Is    His    love    clean    gone    for 

ever? 
Is    His    word    for   all   genera- 
tions no  more? 

9.  Hath     God     forgotten     to     be 

gracious  ? 
Hath    He    shut    up    His    com- 
passion in  wrath? 

Selah. 

10.  (And   I   said   with  this   will   I 

appease 
The  face  of  God,  Most  High.) 

11.  I   will   make   memory   of   Thy 

great    works. 
Make       memory      of      Thine 
ancient  wonders ; 


THE  PSALM  AS  LITURGIES 


317 


12  I  will  meditate  also  of  all 
thy  work,  and  talk  of  thy  doings. 

13  Thy  way,  O  God,  is  in  the 
sanctuary :  who  is  so  great  a  God 
as   our  God? 

14  Thou  art  the  God  that  doest 
wonders :  thou  hast  declared  thy 
strength   among  the   people. 

15  Thou  hast  with  thine  arm 
redeemed  thy  people,  the  sons  of 
Jacob  and  Joseph.     Selah. 

16  The  waters  saw  thee,  O  God, 
the  waters  saw  thee ;  they  were 
afraid :  the  depths  also  were 
troubled. 

'  17  The  clouds  poured  out  water: 
the  skies  sent  out  a  sound :  thine 
arrows  also   went   abroad. 

18  The  voice  of  thy  thunder  zvas 
in  the  heaven:  the  lightnings  light- 
ened the  world:  the  earth  trembled 
and    shook. 

19  Thy  way  is  in  the  sea,  and 
thy  path  in  the  great  waters,  and 
thy   footsteps   are   not   known. 

20  Thou  leddest  thy  people  like 
a  flock  by  the  hand  of  Moses  and 
Aaron. 


12.  And  sigh  out  all  Thy  doings, 
And     make     plaint     of     Thy 

terrors. 

13.  God,     in     the     sanctuary     Thy 

way; 
Who   is  a  great  God  like  our 
God? 

14.  Thou    art   the    God    that   doest 

wonders ; 
Thou  has  made  known  among 
the  peoples  Thy  might. 

15.  Thou    didst    redeem  by    Thine 

arm  Thy  people. 
The  sons  of  Jacob  and  Joseph. 

Selah. 

16.  The    waters    saw    Thee,    God, 
The    waters    saw    Thee,    they 

writhe. 
The   deeps   also   tremble. 

17.  The    clouds    gushed    waters, 
The  storm  clouds  gave  voice, 
Thine      arrows      went     every 

whither. 

18.  The  voice  of   Thy   thunder  in 

the  whirlwind ; 
Lightnings        lightened        the 

world; 
The        earth       quaked        and 

trembled. 

19.  In  the   sea  Thy  way, 

And  Thy  paths  in  great  waters, 
And    Thy    footsteps    are    not 
known. 

20.  Thou    leddest    like    sheep    the 

people, 
By   the    hand    of    Moses    and 
Aaron. 


The  Cry  to  God 

Hitherto  the  IsraeUte  Psalms  have  emphasized  the  title  God 
of  Jacob;  from  this  time  on  we  find,  in  the  Asaph  Psalter, 
Joseph  added.  The  motive  common  in  these  Psalms  of  an 
appeal  to  God  in  present  distress  by  a  recountal  or  remem- 
brance of  His  great  deeds  of  yore  is  peculiarly  emphasized  in 
this  and  the  following.  The  same  free  use  of  El  noticed  in 
other  Asaphite  Psalms  is  found  here.  This  Psalm  represents 
the  nation  in  time  of  sore  distress  appealing  to  God  without 
apparent  result.  He  seems  to  have  cast  off  His  people  for 
ever.     At  last  Israel  seeks  to  appease  Him  by  recalling  in  His 


318  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

sanctuary  His  mighty  deeds  of  yore,  the  wonders  by  which 
He  showed  himself  the  great  God,  and  the  God  who  had 
chosen  Jacob  and  Joseph  as  His  own,  ending  by  a  magnificent 
outburst  of  praise  of  God  in  the  thunderstorm,  which  is  brought 
into  connection  with  God's  miraculous  deliverance  of  His 
people  by  the  hand  of  Moses  and  Aaron. 

Verse  1  constitutes  a  sort  of  caption,  the  cry  out  of  distress 
which  brings  answer  from  God.  For  form  cf .  3  *,  142  ^  Verse 
2,  God,  so  Greek ;  Hebrew  Lord  =  Adonai.  Spread  out,  as 
one  with  head  to  the  ground  and  hands  spread  out  on  the  earth. 
Soul,  i.  e.,  emphatic  /.  The  phrases  in  this  and  following 
verse  are  common  liturgical  phrases.  Make  memorial,  make 
plaint  are  used  of  lamentations  and  of  other  liturgical  ad- 
dresses to  God.  These  and  similar  phrases  are  repeated  in  the 
following  verses,  representing  Israel  as  multiplying  such  suppli- 
cations in  its  dire  distress  by  day  and  night,  and  using  every 
sort  of  liturgy.  Verse  4  represents  the  sleepless  vigil  of  the 
suppliant,  beating  his  breast.  Verse  5,  cf .  44  ^.  Verse  6,  cf . 
42  ^.  Within  his  heart  as  in  the  Temple  the  liturgies  repeat 
themselves.  Made  melody,  literally  played  on  neginoth  (see 
Introduction),  the  instrument  for  the  form  of  liturgy  in  which 
such  instrument  was  used,  as  in  old  Babylonian  Psalms. 
Searched  my  spirit,  literally  my  spirit  (i.  e.,  I)  searched,  or 
questioned  what  this  unmitigated  distress  might  mean,  and 
wherein  Israel  had  offended.  The  following  verses  are  this 
searching  or  questioning.  7,  cf .  44  ^,  85  ^'  ^  Lord  may  be  a 
late  substitution  for  an  original  God.  God's  word  or  promise 
(8),  cf.  2  Sam.  7  ^^-^\  Ps.  89  =>>  *•  s'^'*^,  132  ^  but  see  also 
Dt.  7  \  Verse  9,  cf.  25  «,  40  ",  51  \  Verse  10  reads  in  the 
Hebrew,  And  I  said  this  is  my  sickness,  the  years  of  the  right 
hand  of  the  Most  High;  and  the  Greek  is  equally  hopeless. 
With  a  slight  change  of  the  text  we  have  the  substance  of  the 
translation  I  have  given,  which  seems  to  be  required  by  the 
following  verses.  Appease  the  face,  literally  stroke  or  smooth 
the  face,  as  of  a  suppliant  touching  a  stone  or  image,  a  fairly 
common  use  in  the  O.  T.  The  meaning  is  that  with  good  heart 
and  courage  they  shall  abandon  idle  lamentations  and  come 
before  God  in  His  sanctuary  with  recitals  of  His  wonders 
of  old,  and  His  terrible  deeds  in  battle  and  storm,  with  fit 
accompaniment  of  sacrifice.  Verse  13^,  cf.  4^  63  ^  73^^;  13^, 
cf.  7P«,  86 «,  Ex.  15".  Verse  14  ^  cf.  72  ^«;  14  b,  106'. 
Verse  15,  cf.  Dt.  9  ^a,  Ps.  74  \  78  ".    Joseph  is  a  clear  indication 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


319 


that  this  Psahn  emanated  from  a  Josephite  shrine.  Following 
the  third  selah  is  added  a  Psalm  of  the  thunderstorm  (16-19), 
in  a  different  metre,  setting  forth  God's  terrors  (12).  It  is 
evidently  from  another  hand,  a  song  or  part  of  a  song  which 
the  Psalmist  appropriates  as  the  great  sacrificial  cry  at  the 
appearance  of  God  in  the  altar  fire.  The  thunderstorm  is  a 
favorite  motive  in  Hebrew  poetry,  cf.  18,  29,  68,  97,  114, 
Jud.  5,  Hab.  3.  The  closest  resemblances  of  our  song  are 
with  18  ^^  Hab.  3  «•  "• ",  Ps.  97  *,  the  last  almost  identical 
with  Verse  18^.  The  closing  verse  (19)  seemed  to  the  Psalmist, 
or  to  some  later  reviser,  to  apply  particularly  to  the  deliverance 
from  the  Red  Sea,  hence  the  added  verse  (20)  referring  to  the 
narrative  of  Exodus  (cf.  Ex.  6,  7). 

LXXVIII 

Maschil  of  Asaph. 


GIVE  ear,   O  my  people,   to  my 
law :  incline  your  ears   to   the 
words  of  my  mouth. 

2  I  will  open  my  mouth  in  a 
parable:  I  will  utter  dark  sayings 
of  old: 

3  Which  we  have  heard  and 
known,  and  our  fathers  have  told 
us. 

4  We  will  not  hide  them  from 
their  children,  shewing  to  the 
generation  to  come  the  praises 
of  the  Lord,  and  his  strength,  and 
his  wonderful  works  that  he  hath 
done. 

5  For  he  established  a  testimony 
in  Jacob,  and  appointed  a  law  in 
Israel,  which  he  commanded  our 
fathers,  that  they  should  make 
them  known  to  their  children: 

6  That  the  generation  to  come 
might  know  them,  even  the  children 
which  should  be  born ;  who  should 
arise  and  declare  them  to  their 
children : 

7  That  they  might  set  their  hope 
in  God,  and  not  forget  the  works 
of  God,  but  keep  his  command- 
ments : 

8  And  might  not  be  as  their 
fathers,  a  stubborn  and  rebellious 
generation ;  a  generation  that  set 
not  their  heart  aright,  and  whose 
spirit  was  not  steadfast  with  God. 


1.  Harken,     my    people,     to     my 

teaching, 
Incline  your  ear  to  the  words 
of    my   mouth. 

2.  I    will    open    my    mouth    in  a 

parable, 
I    will    utter    enigmas    of    old. 

3.  What   we   heard   and   learned. 
And    our    fathers    told    to    us, 

4.  We   will   not   hide    from   their 

children   to   after   ages, 
Telling  (the  praises  of. the  Lord, 
And)      His     might     and     His 

wonders    which    He    did. 

5.  And     He    laid    a    charge     on 

Jacob,    and    put    a    law    on 
Israel, 
Which     He     commanded     our 
fathers   to   teach   their   chil- 
dren, 

6.  That    after    generations    may 

know. 
Children  unborn  may  rise  and 
tell   their   children, 

7.  That  they  may  put  their  con- 

fidence in  God, 
And  not    forget  the   deeds   of 
God,   but   observe    His   com- 
mandments ; 

8.  (Nor  become  like  their  fathers, 

a  stubborn  and  rebellious  race, 
A   race  that  set  not  its  heart, 
and    whose    spirit    was    not 
true   with   God.) 


320 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


9  The  children  of  Ephraim,  be- 
ing armed,  and  carrying  bows, 
turned   back  in   the   day   of   battle. 

10  They  kept  not  the  covenant  of 
God,  and  refused  to  walk  in  his 
law; 

11  And  forgat  his  works,  and 
his  wonders  that  he  had  shewed 
them. 

12  Marvellous  things  did  he  in 
the  sight  of  their  fathers,  in  the 
land  of  Egypt,  in  the  field  of 
Zoan. 

13  He  divided  the  sea,  and 
caused  them  to  pass  through ;  and 
he  made  the  waters  to  stand  as  a 
heap. 

15  In  the  daytime  also  he  led 
them  with  a  cloud,  and  all  the 
night  with  a  light  of  fire. 

15  He  clave  the  rocks  in  the 
wilderness,  and  gave  them  drink 
as  out  of  the  great  depths. 

16  He  brought  streams  also  out 
of  the  rock,  and  caused  waters  to 
run  down  like  rivers. 

17  And  they  sinned  yet  more 
against  him  by  provoking  the  Most 
High  in  the  wilderness. 

18  And  they  tempted  God  in 
their  heart  by  asking  meat  for 
their  lust. 

19  Yea,  they  spake  against  God; 
they  said,  Can  God  fqrnish  a  table 
in  the  wilderness? 

20  Behold,  he  smote  the  rock, 
that  the  waters  gushed  out,  and 
the  streams  overflowed;  can  he 
give  bread  also?  can  he  provide 
flesh  for  his  people? 

21  Therefore  the  Lord  heard 
this,  and  was  wroth :  so  a  fire 
was  kindled  against  Jacob,  and 
anger  also  came  up  against  Israel; 


9.     The     children      of      Ephraim, 
armed  with  spear  and  bow. 
Turned    back    in    the    day    of 
battle; 

10.  They  kept  not  God's  covenant, 
And    refused    to    walk   in    His 

laws; 

11.  And  forgat  His  doings. 

And    the    wonders    which    He 
showed  them. 

12.  Before      their      fathers       He 

wrought    marvels. 
In    the    land     of     Egypt,    the 
country    of    Zoan. 

13.  He     cleft    the     sea,     and     let 

them   pass   through. 
And   piled  up   the   waters    like 
a    corn    row ; 

14.  And  He  led  them  by  a  cloud 

by   day, 
And    all    night   by    a    light    of 
of    fire. 

15.  He  cleft  rocks  in  the  wilder- 

ness, 
And  gave  drink  in  abundance 
like    the    deeps. 

16.  And   He  brought   streams   out 

of    stone. 
And    made    waters    run    down 
like   rivers. 

17.  And  again  they  sinned  against 

Him, 
Rebelling  in  the  desert  against 
the   Most  High ; 

18.  And  they  tempted  God  in  their 

hearts 
By    asking     food     for    them- 
selves. 

19.  And    they    spake    against   God, 

saying. 
Is  God  able  to  prepare  a  table 
in    the    wilderness? 

20.  Lo,   He   smote   the   rock, 
And       waters       gushed       and 

streams    overflowed ; 
Can    He    also  give    bread,    or 
provide    flesh    for    His    peo- 
ple? 

21.  (Therefore  the  Lord  heard  and 

was  angry.) 
And    fire   was   kindled   against 

Jacob, 
Wrath    also    went    up    against 

Israel ; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


321 


22  Because  they  believed  not  in 
God,  and  trusted  not  in  his  salva- 
tion : 

23  Though  he  had  commanded 
the  clouds  from  above,  and  opened 
the  doors  of  heaven, 

24  And  had  rained  down  manna 
upon  them  to  eat,  and  had  given 
them    of    the    corn    of    heaven. 

25  Man  did  eat  angels'  food :  he 
sent  them  meat  to  the  full. 

26  He  caused  an  east  wind  to 
blow  in  the  heaven:  and  by  his 
power  he  brought  in  the  south 
wind. 

27  He  rained  flesh  also  upon 
them  as  dust,  and  feathered  fowls 
like  as  the  sand  of  the  sea: 

28  And  he  let  it  fall  in  the 
midst  of  their  camp,  round  about 
their  habitations. 

29  So  they  did  eat,  and  were 
well  filled:  for  he  gave  them  their 
own  desire ; 

30  They  were  not  estranged 
from  their  lust:  but  while  their 
meat   was  yet   in   their   mouths, 

31  The  wrath  of  God  came  up- 
on them.,  and  slew  the  fattest  of 
them,  and  sm.ote  down  the  chosen 
men  of    Israel. 

32  For  all  this  they  sinned  still, 
and  believed  not  for  his  v/ondrous 
works. 

33  Therefore  their  days  did  he 
consume  in  vanity,  and  their  years 
in   trouble. 

34  When  he  slew  them,  then 
they  sought  him:  and  they  re- 
turned and  inquired  early  after 
God. 

35  And  they  remembered  that 
God  was  their  Rock,  and  the  high 
God  their  Redeemer. 

36  Nevertheless  they  did  flatter 
him  with  their  mouth,  and  they 
lied   unto   him   with   their   tongues. 


22.  Because  they  believed  not  on 

God, 
And     put     no     trust     in     His 
deliverances. 

23.  And      He      commanded      the 
clouds  on  high, 

And  opened  the  doors  of  the 
heavens, 

24.  And  rained  on  them  manna  to 

eat, 
And      gave      them      corn      of 
heaven ; 

25.  Bread  of  the  Mighty  man  ate. 
Game   He   sent  them   a-plenty. 

26.  He   led    forth   the   East   wind 

in  the  skies, 
And  guided  by  His  might  the 
South  wind ; 

27.  And     rained     on    them     flesh 

like    dust. 
And  like  the  sea  sand  winged 
fowl ; 

28.  And   caused   it   to    fall   in  the 

midst    of    their    camp, 
Round    about    their  dwellings. 

29.  And  they  ate,  and  were  sated; 

He  brought  them  what  they 
lusted. 

30.  They   were   not    restrained    of 

their   lust, 
Their    food  was    still   in   their 
mouth, 

31.  When      the    anger      of      God 

came  upon  them, 
And    He    slew    their    lustiest, 
and     smote     down     Israel's 
youth. 

32.  For     all     this     they     sinned 

again. 
And    trusted   not   His   wonder 
workings. 

33.  And  He  brought  their  days  to 

an  end    in    pains. 
And  their  years  in  catastrophe. 

34.  When     He     slew     them     they 

sought  Him, 
And     supplicated     God     again; 

35.  And     remembered     that     God 

was  their  Rock, 
And    God,    Most    High,    their 
next    of    kin. 

36.  But   they   deceived    Him   with 

their   mouth. 
And    with    their    tongue    they 
lied  to  Him; 


322 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


Zl  For  their  heart  was  not  right 
with  him,  neither  were  they  stead- 
fast in  his  covenant. 

38  But  he,  being  full  of  com- 
passion, forgave  their  iniquity,  and 
destroyed  them  not :  yea,  many  a 
time  turned  he  his  anger  away, 
and  did  not  stir  up  all  his  wrath. 

39  For  he  remembered  that  they 
were  but  flesh ;  a  wind  that  passeth 
away,  and  cometh  not  again. 

40  How  oft  did  they  provoke 
him  in  the  wilderness,  and  grieve 
him  in  the  desert  I 

41  Yea,  they  turned  back  and 
tempted  God,  and  limited  the  Holy 
One  of  Israel. 

42  They  remembered  not  his 
hand,  nor  the  day  when  he  de- 
livered   them   from   the   enemy : 

43  How  he  had  wrought  his 
signs  in  Egypt,  and  his  wonders 
in  the  field  of  Zoan : 

44  And  had  turned  their  rivers 
into  blood;  and  their  floods,  that 
they  could  not  drink. 

45  He  sent  divers  sorts  of  flies 
among  them,  which  devoured 
them ;  and  frogs,  which  destroyed 
them. 

46  He  gave  also  their  increase 
unto  the  caterpillar,  and  their 
labour  unto  the  locust. 

47  He  destroyed  their  vines  with 
hail,  and  their  sycamore  trees  with 
frost. 

48  He  gave  up  their  cattle  also 
to  the  hail,  and  their  flocks  to 
hot   thunderbolts. 

49  He  cast  upon  them  the  fierce- 
ness of  his  anger,  wrath,  and  in- 
dignation, and  trouble,  by  sending 
evil  angels  among  them. 


37.  And     their     heart     was     not 

right    with    Him, 
Nor    were    they    true  to    His 
covenant. 

38.  (And  He  in  mercy  pardoneth 

guilt  and  destroyeth  not ; 
And    often    turned    back    His 
wrath,   and    let    not   all    His 
anger   blaze ; 

39.  And  remembered  that  they  are 

flesh, 
A     wind     that     passeth     and 
cometh  not  back.) 

40.  How    oft    they   rebel    against 

Him  in  the  wilderness, 
Make    idols    of    Him    in    the 
desert! 

41.  And   they   tempted   God  often, 
Whiles    they    bore    the    mark 

of  the  Holy  of   Israel. 

42.  They     remembered     not     His 

hand, 
The    day    that    He    redeemed 
them    from    distress, 

43.  When    He    set    His    signs    in 

Egypt, 
And  His  wonders  in  the  land 
of    Zoan. 

44.  And     He     turned    into    blood 

their  canals. 
That     they     could     not    drink 
their  canals. 

45.  He  sent  upon  them  fly  swarms 

that  ate  them. 
And  frogs  that  ravaged  them ; 

46.  And    He    gave    to    the  locust 

their    increase. 
And    their    toil    to    the    grass- 
hopper. 

47.  He     killeth     with     hail     their 

vines. 
And     their     sycomores     with 
the    frost. 

48.  And     He     delivered     to     the 

hail    their    cattle. 
Their    flocks    to    the    thunder- 
bolts. 

49.  (He    dischargeth    upon    them 
His    violent    rage. 

Wrath  and   fury  and  distress, 
A  message  of  angels  of  ill.) 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


323 


50  He  made  a  way  to  his  anger; 
he  spared  not  their  soul  from 
death,  but  gave  their  Hfe  over  to 
the  pestilence; 

51  And  smote  all  the  first-born  in 
Egypt ;  the  chief  of  their  strength 
in  the  tabernacles  of  Ham : 

52  But  made  his  own  people  to 
go  forth  like  sheep,  and  guided 
them  in  the  wilderness  like  a  flock. 

53  And  he  led  them  on  safely, 
so  that  they  feared  not :  but  the 
sea    overwhelmed    their    enemies. 

54  And  he  brought  them  to  the 
border  of  his  sanctuary,  even  to 
this  mountain,  which  his  right  hand 
had   purchased. 

55  He  cast  out  the  heathen  also 
before  them,  and  divided  them  an 
inheritance  by  line,  and  made  the 
tribes  of  Israel  to  dwell  in  their 
tents. 

56  Yet  they  tempted  and  pro- 
voked the  most  high  God,  and 
kept  not  his  testimonies : 

57  But  turned  back,  and  dealt 
unfaithfully  like  their  fathers : 
they  were  turned  aside  like  a 
deceitful  bow. 

58  For  they  provoked  him  to 
anger  with  their  high  places,  and 
moved  him  to  jealousy  with  their 
graven   images. 

59  When  God  heard  this,  he  was 
wroth,  and  greatly  abhorred  Israel : 

60  So  that  he  forsook  the  taber- 
nacle of  Shiloh,  the  tent  zvhich  he 
placed  among  men ; 

61  And  delivered  his  strength 
into  captivity,  and  his  glory  into 
the  enemy's  hand. 

62  He  gave  his  people  over  also 
unto  the  sword ;  and  was  wroth 
with  his    inheritance. 


50.  He    leveled    a    path    for    His 

wrath ; 
He     spared     them     not     from 

death, 
But     dehvered     them     to     the 

plague ; 

51.  And  smote  all  the  first-born  ni 

born  in   Egypt, 
The   firstlings   of   manhood   in 
the   houses    of    Ham. 

52.  But    His    people    He    led    like 

sheep, 
And      guided      them      like      a 
flock  in  the  wilderness. 

53.  And      He     gave     them      safe 

rest,    that    they    feared    not, 
While    the    sea    covered    over 
their   foes. 

54.  And  He  brought  them  to  the 

border    of     His    holy   land. 
That  mountain  His  right  hand 
acquired, 

55.  And    cast   out    nations    before 

them, 
(And    assigned    them    by    lot 

an   heritage) 
And     made     dwell     in     their 

houses   Israel's  tribes. 

56.  But     they     tempted     and     re- 

belled    against     God,     Most 
High, 
And      His      injunctions      they 
observed  not. 

57.  And   they  turned  traitors   like 

their  fathers. 
They     went     crooked     like     a 
treacherous  bow ; 

58.  And  they  provoked  Him  with 

their    high    places, 
And   with   their   images   made 
Him  jealous. 

59.  God     heard     and    was     angry, 
And    utterly    rejected    Israel. 

60.  And      He      forsook     Shiloh's 

tabernacle. 
The  house  He  had  set  among 
men, 

61.  And  He  delivered  His  strength 
to  captivity. 

And    His    glory    to    the    ad- 
versary's  hand, 

62.  And    delivered  to    the    sword 
His  people, 

And  was  angry   with  His  in- 
heritance. 


324 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


63  The  fire  consumed  their 
young  men ;  and  their  maidens 
were    not    given    to    marriage. 

64  Their  priests  fell  by  the 
sword ;  and  their  widows  made  no 
lamentation. 

65  Then  the  Lord  awaked  as  one 
out  of  sleep,  and  like  a  mighty 
man  that  shouteth  by  reason  of 
wine. 

66  And  he  smote  his  enemies  in 
the  hinder  parts :  he  put  them  to 
a  perpetual   reproach. 

67  Moreover  he  refused  the 
tabernacle  of  Joseph,  and  chose 
not  the  tribe  of  Ephraim : 

68  But  chose  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
the  mount  Zion  which  he  loved. 

69  And  he  built  his  sanctuary 
like  high  palaces,  like  the  earth 
which  he  hath  established  for  ever. 

70  He  chose  David  also  his 
servant,  and  took  him  from  the 
sheepfolds : 

71  From  following  the  ewes 
great  with  young  he  brought  him 
to  feed  Jacob  his  people,  and  Israel 
his   inheritance. 

72  So  he  fed  them  according  to 
the  integrity  of  his  heart;  and 
guided  them  by  the  skilfulness  of 
his  hands. 


63.  Their  youths   fire   devoured, 
And  their  maids  had  no  mar- 
riage songs. 

64.  Their     priests      fell     by     the 

sword, 
And    their    widows    make    no 
lament. 

65.  Then  the   Lord  awoke  as  out 

of  sleep, 
Like     a     warrior     mad     with 
wine, 

66.  And     smote    His     foes    back- 

ward; 
He  put  them  to   utter  shame. 

67.  And    He    rejected    the    house 

of   Joseph, 
And  the  tribe  of  Ephraim  He 
chose   not ; 

68.  But    He    chose    the    tribe  of 

Judah, 
Zion's     mountain     which     He 
loved ; 

69.  And  He  built  like  the  heights 

His    shrine. 
Made    it    firm    like    the    earth 
forever ; 

70.  And  He  made  choice  of  David 

His  servant. 
Taking  him  out  of  the   sheep 
folds ; 

71.  He  brought  him  from  behind 

the  ewes, 
To  feed  Jacob  His  people. 
And   Israel   His   inheritance. 

72.  And     he    herded     them     with 

wholeness    of    heart, 
And  by  the  skill  of  his  hands 
he  giveth  them  rest. 


To  Teach  the  Children 

This  Psalm  starts  somewhat  Hke  49.  The  parable  or  enigma 
to  be  unfolded  is  contained  and  expounded  in  9-11.  Why  in 
these  latter  days  is  Israel  overthrow^n,  Ephraim  defeated  and 
overwhelmed  by  its  foes?  Because  they  have  not  kept  God's 
covenant,  and  walked  in  His  laws.  The  conception  is  Deu- 
teronomic,  and  the  treatment  is  Deuteronomic,  cf.,  especially 
Dt.  11,  with  its  remembrance  of  the  wonders  of  the  past,  its 
promises  and  denunciations  for  the  future,  and  particularly 
the  exhortation  (v.  19)  to  teach  the  children  these  things. 
This   tnaskil  is   a  repetition   of   history   for   the   instruction   of 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  325 

children,  perhaps  for  the  Passover  (cf .  Ex.  12  ^°,  and  the  cus- 
tom prevailing  to  this  day  among  orthodox  Jews  of  a  recitation 
of  the  old  story).  The  Psalm  was  patched  and  added  to  at 
different  times,  and  it  contains  two  considerable  Judean 
additions  (42-53,  60-72),  which  fitted  it  for  use  in  Jerusalem, 
some  time  in  the  century  succeeding  the  fall  of  Samaria 
(721  B.  C). 

Vv.  3-7,  cf.  Dt.  4^  6,  8,  U^K  4^,  a  later  insertion 
which  spoils  the  rhythm.  5  ^  cf .  81  ".  7  ^  cf .  Dt.  4  2.  ^, 
5  ^'  ^^  9  ^,  24  ^,  27,  32.  8,  both  Deuteronomic  and  Jeremianic, 
appears  like  a  later  insertion.  9  is  resumed,  and  the  answer 
more  fully  given  in  vv.  57  ^.  Verses  12-41  is  a  narration  of 
God's  ancient  wonders  from  the  Elohistic  narrative  contained 
in  Exodus  and  Numbers.  13,  cf.  Ex.  14  ^S  15^;  14,  cf.  Ex. 
13=^S  14  2*;  15,  cf.  Ex.  17 «;  16,  cf.  Num.  20 «-" ;  18,  cf. 
Num.  11*.  21  ^  is  a  later  insertion,  cf.  v.  59;  23,  24,  cf. 
Ex.  16.  25,  Mighty  (Heb.  abbir),  an  ancient  Ephraimite  name 
of  God,  cf.  Gen.  49-*.  26,  cf.  Num.  m^ ;  27,  28,  cf.  Ex. 
16"*f;  31,  cf.  Num.  11  ^^■^';  32-33,  cf.  Num.  14"- 22.  33  is  the 
traditional  killing  off  of  all  those  who  started  from  Egypt. 
35,  cf .  Dt.  32  *.  Next  of  kin,  Heb.  goel,  whose  duty  it  was 
to  avenge  blood,  and  maintain  the  integrity  of  the  family 
(cf.  Ruth).  38,  39  seem  to  be  an  insertion;  perhaps  also 
40,  41.  For  38,  cf.  Ex.  34 «;  39  ^  cf.  Job  7  ^  41,  cf.  Ex.  9*. 
The  meaning  is,  they  boasted  themselves  to  be  the  holy  people 
of  the  Holy  God,  but  disproved  the  claim  by  their  deeds.  42-53 
is  a  replica  of  that  part  of  the  preceding  dealing  with  the  de- 
liverance from  Egypt,  drawn  from  the  Jehovistic  narrative,  and 
inserted  here,  rather  ineptly,  from  some  Judean  Psalm  of 
similar  theme.  The  plagues  are  those  narrated  in  Ex.  4-14. 
42,  cf .  Ex.  9  *.  49  seems  to  be  a  later  gloss  summing  up  the 
previous  plagues,  before  we  come  to  the  most  terrible,  death 
of  the  first  born.  54  (cf.  Ex.  15'')  resumes  41;  55^  is  an 
insertion,  breaking  sense  and  metre,  from  Josh.  23.  57-59  sup- 
plement vv.  9-11  (cf.  Dt.  4  2»,  32i«-^°).  60,  at  this  point, 
apparently,  the  Judean  addition  begins,  which  adapted  the 
Psalm  to  use  in  Jerusalem.  For  the  historical  facts  in  60*  cf. 
1  Sam.  4"^;  for  65*  the  story  of  David  in  2  Sam.  For  the 
spiritual  treatment  cf .  Jer.  7  ^■^•,  which  seems  to  be  based  on 
this  or  some  similar  Psalm.  For  67,  68  cf.  Gen.  49  ®'^,  that 
same  pride  in  the  enormous  strength  of  the  Jerusalem  Temple 
which  pervades  the  original  Judean  Psalter.     (Ps.  3-41).     70, 


326 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


71,  cf.  1  Chr.  11.  The  shepherd  leads  his  sheep.  He  must, 
however,  follow  after  the  bearing  ewes,  to  pick  up  where 
needed  the  new  born  lambs.  72  suggests  a  period  of  prosperity 
under  the  Davidic  dynasty  like  that  of  the  earlier  years  of  Josiah. 

LXXIX 

A  Psalm  of  Asaph. 


OGOD,  the  heathen  are  come 
into  thine  inheritance ;  thy  holy 
temple  have  they  defiled;  they 
have  laid  Jerusalem  on  heaps. 

2  The  dead  bodies  of  thy 
servants  have  they  given  to  be 
meat  unto  the  fowls  of  the  heaven, 
the  flesh  of  thy  saints  unto  the 
beasts   of    the    earth. 

3  Their  blood  have  they  shed 
like  water  round  about  Jerusalem; 
and  there  was  none  to  bury  thetn. 

4  We  are  become  a  reproach  to 
our  neighbours,  a  scorn  and  deri- 
sion to  them  that  are  round  about 
us. 

5  How  long,  Lord?  wiU  thou  be 
angry  for  ever?  shall  thy  jealousy 
burn  like  fire? 

6  Pour  out  thy  wrath  upon  the 
heathen  that  have  not  known  thee, 
and  upon  the  kingdoms  that  have 
not   called    upon    thy   name. 

7  For  they  have  devoured  Jacob, 
and  laid  waste  his  dwelling  place. 

8  O  remember  not  against  us 
former  iniquities;  let  thy  tender 
mercies  speedily  prevent  us;  for 
we   are   brought   very   low. 

9  Help  us,  O  God  of  our  salva- 
tion, for  the  glory  of  thy  name: 
and  deliver  us,  and  purge  away 
our    sins,    for    thy    name's    sake. 


1.  God,     the     nations     are     come 

into  Thine  heritage, 
Thy    holy    temple    have    they 

defiled ; 
(They    have    made    Jerusalem 

ruins.) 

2.  They  gave  the  corpses  of  Thy 

servants  for  food  to  the  fowl 
of  heaven, 

3.  The    flesh    of   Thy    saints    to 

the  beasts  of  the  land. 
(They    shed    their    blood    like 
water    around    Jerusalem, 
none    burying). 

4.  We  are  become  a  reproach  to 

our    neighbors, 
A    scoff    and    scorn    to    them 
about  us. 


5.  How  long! 

God,  wilt   Thou  rage   forever? 
Shall  Thy   jealousy   burn   like 
fire? 

6.  Pour   out    Thy   wrath    on    the 

nations  that  know  Thee  not, 
And    on    the    kingdoms     that 
call  not  Thy  name. 

7.  For       they       have      devoured 

Jacob, 
And    his    dwelling    they    have 
laid   waste. 


8.  (Remember    not    against    us; 

the  guilt  of  our  fore- 
bears ; 

Let  Thy  mercies  speedily 
prevent   us, 

For  we  are  brought  very 
low.) 

9.  Help    us,    God    of    our    salva- 

tion,  for  the   honor  of   Thy 
name; 
And  rescue  us,  and  cover  our 
sins,  for  Thy  name's  sake. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


327 


10  Wherefore  should  the  heathen 
say,  Where  is  their  God?  let  him 
be  known  among  the  heathen  in 
our  sight  by  the  revenging  of  the 
blood  of  thy  servants  which  is 
shed. 

11  Let  the  sighing  of  the  prisoner 
come  before  thee ;  according  to 
the  greatness  of  thy  power  pre- 
serve thou  those  that  are  ap- 
pointed   to    die ; 

12  And  render  unto  our  neigh- 
bours sevenfold  into  their  bosom 
their  reproach,  wherewith  they 
have  reproached  thee,  O  Lord. 

13  So  we  thy  people  and  sheep 
of  thy  pasture  will  give  thee 
thanks  for  ever:  we  will  shew 
forth  thy  praise  to  all  generations. 


10.  Why     do     the     nations     say: 

"Where  is  their  God?" 

Let   be  shown   on   the   nations 

in   our   sight 
Vengeance  of  the  blood  of  Thy 
servants  that  was  shed. 

11.  Let  the  sighing  of  the  captives 

come  before  Thee ; 
By    Thy    great    arm  preserve 
the  doomed  to  death ; 

12.  And    visit    on    our    neighbors, 

sevenfold  into  their  bosom, 
The   reproach   wherewith   they 
reproached  Thee,  Lord. 

13.  And     we.     Thy     people,    and 

sheep  of  Thy  pasture. 
Will  thank  Thee  forever, 
To  all  ages  tell  Thy  praise. 


Lamentation  for  the  Temple 

Originally    a  lamentation   liturgy    for    sacrifice    in   the   bitter 
need  of   Samaria's  last  struggle,  this   Psalm  was   later  applied 
to   the   similar  need  of   Jerusalem,   and  became   the   Psalm   of 
such  need  through  the  ages.     It  was  both  itself  much  annotated 
through  such  use,  and  was  also  freely  cited   in  later   writings. 
It    contains    first    the    appeal    describing    the    death    agony    of 
Israel  at  the  hand  of  the  Assyrian  invaders,  afterwards  adapted 
to  Jerusalem  in  similar  distress  at  the  hands  of  the  Babylonians 
(1-4).     Then  follows  a  How  long,  an  appeal  to  God's  mercy 
(5-7).      This  is   followed   by  the   call,   preliminary   to   the   sac- 
rifice, to  God  to  show  himself   (8-10  3);  then  comes  the  curse 
(10^-12);   and  the   sacrificial   praise   cry    (13).      In   tone   and 
content   it   is  closely  allied  to   74.     For   1    cf.   74^'^;  and    for 
thine  heritage  also  78^^'  ^\  and  15  ".     1  S  adding  a  third  clause 
where  all  other   verses   have   but   two,   is   clearly   an   addition 
to  the  original.     It  appears  to   depend   on   Mic.   3^-    (cf.   also 
Jer   26^^).     2  appears  to  depend  on  Dt.  28=^^.     Later  Jeremiah 
applied  them  both  to  Judah,  cf .  Jer.  7  ^^  16  \  19  ^  34  ^o.    3  »>  is  a 
prose  gloss,   for   which   cf .  Jer.    14  ^«,    16  *.     Verses   2   and   3 
were  later  applied  to  the  Maccabean  struggle  and  are  cited  in 
1    Mac.   7^^     4  is  practically   identical   with  44",   but   which 
depends  on  the  other  it  is  difficult  to  say.     5,  cf.  74  ^'  ^°,  on  the 
basis  of  which  I  have  used  God  here,  instead  of  the  Lord  of 
the  text,  which  is  apparently  due  to  the  Judean  revision  of  this 


328  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Psalm.  Cf.  for  this  verse  also  89  *«,  and  Dt.  29  2°.  6  and  7 
seem  to  show  acquaintance  with  53  *,  and  perhaps  also  69  ^*. 
These  verses  are  used  in  Jer.  10  ^\  8  seems  to  be  a  later 
addition.  8^-^  derive  from  Dt.  5  «>  ^"  (cf.  Ex.  20^-'^);  8-=  ap- 
pears in  two  later  Psalms,  116  ^  142  ^  9,  God  of  our  salvation, 
i.  e.,  who  gives  us  victory.  10  ^  may  derive  from  42  ^^  ^°.  It 
is  cited  in  115  2.  I  have  connected  this  clause  with  the  pre- 
ceding rather  than  the  succeeding.  I  do  not  feel  sure  that  it 
is  not  a  later  insertion.  11  is  used  by  a  later  Psalmist,  102'°. 
Thy  great  arm,  cf.  Ex.  15  ".  12,  cf.  89  "•  ^K  Lord,  probably  a 
late  scribal  substitute  for  God.  13,  sheep  of  Thy  pasture,  cf.  74  \ 
The  first  clause  of  this  verse  is  cited  in  100  ^. 

This  Psalm  is  one  of  great  power,  and  has  been  very  pop- 
ular. Its  use  in  Maccabees  suggests  that  it  may  have  been 
at  that  period  the  Psalm  appointed  for  the  day  of  commemora- 
tion of  the  destruction  of  the  Temple,  as  we  know  from  Rab- 
binical writers  it  was  at  a  later  date.  It  is  still  used  by  the 
Jews  in  the  Friday  lament  over  Jerusalem,  as  in  the  Wailing 
Place  of  that  city.  Christian  story  has  it  that  verses  9  and  10 
were  chanted  by  Crispin  and  Crispinianus  (patrons  of  shoe- 
makers) at  their  martyrdom.  It  was  a  favorite  of  the  Hugue- 
nots of  France  and  the  Puritans  of  England  in  their  strug- 
gles, and  also  played  a  part  in  the  French  Revolution.  Prob- 
ably few  know  the  part  it  played  in  the  liberation  of  Bul- 
garia from  Turkish  misrule.  In  the  massacres  of  1876  the 
Bulgarians  turned  to  Robert  College  for  help,  but  for  a  time 
it  was  impossible  to  make  the  facts  known  to  the  world,  both 
the  British  government  and  the  British  press  refusing  to 
listen.  Prof.  Albert  F.  Long,  of  Robert  College,  had  been  a 
missionary  in  Bulgaria,  and  was  peculiarly  well  acquainted 
with  conditions  there.  June  15,  1876,  he  received  an  appeal 
from  a  certain  village  on  behalf  of  over  70  men  about  to  be 
done  to  death  without  cause.  The  following  day,  Sunday,  he 
read  service  at  the  British  Summer  Embassy  at  Therapia  by 
invitation  of  the  British  Ambassador.  The  first  Psalm  in  the 
Psalter  of  that  day  was  79.  As  he  read  it  seemed  to  him  that 
his  Bulgarian  prisoners  in  their  extremity  were  crying  through 
him  to  God,  and  that  he  must  find  a  way  to  make  their  plea 
heard.  After  service  he  asked  for  an  interview  with  the  Am- 
bassador and  stated  their  case.  The  Ambassador  told  him 
that  his  imperative  orders  from  London  were  to  forward 
no   information   about  the   Bulgarians.     Dr.   Long  then  turned 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


329 


to  the  correspondent  of  the  London  Times,  and  was  told  that 
the  Times  had  refused  to  print  what  he  had  already  sent,  and 
ordered  him  to  send  no  more.  On  the  way  back  to  Robert 
College  he  met  on  the  steamer  the  British  Consul  General  who, 
on  hearing  the  story,  told  him  to  come  to  his  office  the  following 
morning,  where  he  introduced  him  to  the  newly  arrived  cor- 
respondent of  the  Daily  News,  McGahan,  an  American,  and 
Long  wrote  and  McGahan  sent  his  first  letter  on  the  massacres, 
which  led  to  an  interpellation  in  Parliament,  and  denial  by  the 
ministry.  This  brought  McGahan's  second  dispatch  (also 
written  by  Dr.  Long),  and  the  famous  debate  in  Parliament  and 
appeal  to  the  country,  which  set  popular  sympathy  aflame,  and 
made  possible  Russia's  interference  and  the  deliverance  of 
Bulgaria. 


LXXX 

To  the  chief  Musician  upon  Shoshannim-Eduth,  A  Psalm  of  Asaph. 


GIVE  ear,  O  Shepherd  of 
Israel,  thou  that  leadest  Joseph 
like  a  flock;  thou  that  dwellest 
between  the  cherubim,  shine  forth. 

2  Before  Ephraim  and  Benjamin 
and  Manasseh  stir  up  thy  strength, 
and   come    and    save    us. 

3  Turn  us  again,  O  God,  and 
cause  thy  face  to  shine;  and  we 
shall    be    saved. 

4  O  Lord  God  of  hosts,  hov/ 
long  wilt  thou  be  angry  against 
the  prayer  of  thy  people? 

5  Thou  feedest  them  with  the 
bread  of  tears ;  and  givest  them 
tears  to  drink  in  great  measure. 

6  Thou  makest  us  a  strife  unto 
our  neighbours :  and  our  enemies 
laugh   among   themselves. 

7  Turn  us  again,  O  God  of 
hosts,  and  cause  thy  face  to  shine ; 
and  we  shall  be  saved. 


1.  Shepherd   of   Israel,   give   ear, 
That     leadest    Joseph     like    a 

flock; 
Inhabiter     of      the      thunder- 
cloud,   shine    forth. 

2.  Before      Ephraim,      Benjamin, 

and    Manasseh, 
Stir  up  Thy  might,  and  come 
and    save    us. 

3.  O  God,  turn  us ; 

Let   Thy   face   shine,   that   we 
be  saved. 

II 

4.  Lord  God  of  Hosts,  how  long! 
Thou  has  smoked  against  Thy 

people's  prayer. 

5.  Thou     has      fed     them     with 

bread    of    tears. 
And    given    them    buckets    of 
tears   to   drink. 

6.  Thou    makest    us    a    strife    to 

our   neighbors ; 
And  our  enemies  laugh  us  to 
scorn. 

7.  O    Lord    God   of    Hosts,    turn 

us ; 
Let   Thy   face   shine,   that   we 
be  saved.  Selah. 


330 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


8  Thou  has  brought  a  vine  out 
of  Egypt:  thou  has  cast  out  the 
heathen,   and  planted  it. 

9  Thou  preparest  room  before  it, 
and  didst  cause  it  to  take  root, 
and   it   filled   the    land. 

10  The  hills  were  covered  with 
the  shadow  of  it,  and  the  boughs 
thereof  were  like  the  goodly 
cedars. 

11  She  sent  out  her  boughs  unto 
the  sea,  and  her  branches  unto 
the   river. 

12  Why  hast  thou  then  broken 
down  her  hedges,  so  that  all  they 
which  pass  by  the  way  do  pluck 
her? 

13  The  boar  out  of  the  wood 
doth  waste  it,  and  the  wild  beast 
of  the  field  devour  it. 

14  Return,  we  beseech  thee,  O 
God  of  hosts :  look  down  from 
heaven,  and  behold,  and  visit  this 
vine; 

15  And  the  vineyard  which  thy 
right  hand  hath  planted,  and  the 
branch  that  thou  madest  strong 
for    thyself. 

16  It  is  burned  with  fire,  it  is 
cut  down:  they  perish  at  the 
rebuke  of  thy  countenance. 

17  Let  thy  hand  be  upon  the 
man  of  thy  right  hand,  upon  the 
son  of  man  zvhom  thou  madest 
strong  for  thyself. 

18  So  will  not  we  go  back  from 
thee:  quicken  us,  and  we  will  call 
thy  name. 

19  Turn  us  again,  O  Lord  God 
of  hosts,  cause  thy  face  to  shine; 
and  we  shall  be  saved. 


Ill 

8.  A    vine    Thou    bringest    from 

Egypt, 
Thou  easiest  out  nations,  and 
plantest    it    in. 

9.  Thou    didst    clear    before    it, 
That   it   rooted,   and   filled   the 

land. 
10     Mountains  were    covered    with 
its  shade  , 
And  its  twigs  were  cedars  of 
God. 

11.  It  sent  out  its   boughs  to  the 

sea. 
And   to   the   River   its    shoots. 

12.  Why    hast    Thou    broken    her 

walls. 
That  all    that    pass    by    pluck 
her? 

13.  The      boar      of      the      forest 

rooteth  her. 
And  the  creepers  of  the  field 
feed  on  her. 

14.  O  God  of  Hosts,  turn  now ; 
Behold_  from  heaven,  and  see, 

15.  And   visit   this   vine, 

And    guard    what    Thy    right 
hand    planted. 

IV 

16.  She    is    burned    with    fire,    cut 

off; 
At    the    rebuke    of    Thy    face 
they  perish. 

17.  Be   Thy  hand  on   the   man   of 

Thy   right   hand. 
On    the    son    of    man    whom 
Thou  hast  chosen. 

18.  Let    us    be    not    turned    from 

Thee; 
Quicken  us,   that  we  may  call 
on    Thy  name. 

19.  O  Lord  God  of  Hosts, 

Let   Thy    face    shine,    that   we 
be  saved. 


Turn  Us 


To  the  heading  of  this  Psalm  (for  meaning  of  which  see 
Introduction)  the  Greek  adds  "on  account  of  the  Assyrian," 
which  represents  a  true  tradition  of  origin  and  date.  It  is  a 
very  pitiful  and  at  the  same  time  valiant  appeal   to   God,  in 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  331 

the    time  of    the    last    struggle    of    Samaria    with    Assyria,    to 
accept  their  sacrifices,  to  show  himself  and  give  them  victory; 
an    appeal    based    on    His    ancient  love    (8-15),    and    on    their 
faithfulness  to  Him   (18).     It  uses  terms  and  phrases  charac- 
teristic of   Deuteronomy  and   of   the   Asaph   Psalms,   and   par- 
ticularly of  74,  77,  78,  79.     Poetically  it  is  a  finished  composi- 
tion, comparable   with   the    Psalms   of    the   Korah    Psalter.      It 
consists  of  four  stanzas  varying  slightly  in  length,  with  similar 
refrain,  identical  only  in  2  and  4.     Stanza  1    (1-2)  is  the  sum- 
mons to  God  to  appear  in  the  sacrifice.     Thunder  cloud    (1), 
Heb.  Cherubim.    Shine  forth  (2),  as  in  Dt.  33-,  Ps,  50  2,  94  \ 
That  it  is  an  Israelite  Psalm,  of  a  temple  of  the  southern  or 
Josephite   tribes,  -is   clear    from    1    and  2.     To   these   is   added 
Benjamin    (cf.    also    17),   whose   territory   bordered  Bethel    on 
the    south.      The    sacrificial    summons    is    repeated    in    2,    and 
in  the  refrain  (3).     In  both  these  verses  save  is  a  synonym  for 
give   victory.      Stanza   2    (4-6)    is    the    How    long    (cf.    79**). 
Lord  God  of  Hosts  (4,  7,  19)  is  peculiar  to  literature  influenced 
by    Deuteronomy.      Buckets     (5).    correctness    of    text    ques- 
tioned.    Selah  (7),  from  the  Greek,  probably  original.     Stanza 
3  (8-13),  the  appeal  to  history  (cf.   Blessing  of   Joseph,   Gen. 
49^^).     Sea  and  River   (11),  i.   e.,  the   Mediterranean  on  the 
west,    the    Euphrates    on    the    east,    the    traditional    extent    of 
David's   kingdom    (cf.  2    Sam.    8^    1    K.  4").      Walls    (12), 
the    stone    fences    which    surround    vineyards.      The    vines    in 
Palestine    grow    flat    on    the    ground,    without    supports,    the 
trunks  attain  a  large  size.     The  refrain   (14,  15)  to  this  stanza 
is  varied  to  fit  the  theme   of   the  stanza.     The   Hebrew   adds 
The  son  whom  Thou  hast  chosen   (15''),  an  error  of  a  copyist, 
who  began  to  write  here  17^,  misled  by  the  word  right  hand, 
which  immediately  precedes  this  phrase  in  both  verses.     Guard 
(15^),  the  text  is  manifestly   corrupt,  and  the  exact  meaning 
uncertain.      Stanza   4    (16-18),   passes    from   the   figure   of  the 
vine  to  the  destruction  by  fire  of  towns  and  shrines,  as  in  74 
and    79.      Man    of    Thy   right  hand   (17),    i.    e.,    Benjamin,    a 
common  play  on  the  meaning  of  the  name,  from  which  came 
the   first  king,   Saul.      Call   on   Thy   name    (18);   the  claim  to 
restoration  because  of  their  faith  rulness  takes  the  place  of  the 
usual  praise  cry.     The  customary  curse   is  omitted. 


332 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


LXXXI 

To  the  chief  Musician  upon  Gittith,  ^Ffo/m  of  Asaph. 


SING      aloud      unto     God     our 
strength:   make  a  joyful  noise 
unto  the  God  of  Jacob. 

2  Take  a  psalm,  and  bring  hither 
the  timbrel,  the  pleasant  harp  with 
the  psaltery. 

3  Blow  up  the  trumpet  in  the 
new  moon,  in  the  time  appointed, 
on   our   solemn    feast  day. 

4  For  this  ivas  a  statute  for 
Israel,  and  a  law  of  the  God  of 
Jacob. 

5  This  he  ordained  in  Joseph 
for  a  testimony,  when  he  went 
out  through  the  land  of  Egypt: 
tvhere  I  heard  a  language  that  I 
understood  not. 

6  I  removed  his  shoulder  from 
the  burden :  his  hands  were  de- 
livered from   the   pots. 

7  Thou  calledst  in  trouble,  and 
I  delivered  thee ;  I  answered  thee 
in  the  secret  place  of  thunder:  I 
proved  thee  at  the  waters  of 
Meribah.        Selah. 

8  Hear,  O  my  people,  and  I  will 
testify  unto  thee :  O  Israel,  if  thou 
wilt  hearken  unto  me ; 

9  There  shall  no  strange  god  be 
in  thee ;  neither  shalt  thou  worship 
any    strange   god. 

10  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  which 
brought  thee  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt :  open  thy  mouth  wide,  and 
I    will    fill   it. 

11  But  my  people  would  not 
hearken  to  my  voice ;  and  Israel 
would   none  of  me. 

12  So  I  gave  them  up  unto  their 
own  hearts'  lust :  and  they  walked 
in  their  own  counsels. 


1.  Sing    we    merrily   to    God   our 

strength ; 
Shout    aloud    to    the    God    of 
Jacob. 

2.  Raise    the    chant,    and    strike 

the   tabret, 
The  merry  harp  with  the  lute. 

3.  Blow     the     trumpet     at     new 

moon, 
At    full    moon    for    our    feast- 
day. 

4.  For  this  is  a  statute  for  Israel, 
A    command    of    the    God    of 

Jacob ; 

5.  A     charge     He   ordained     for 

Joseph, 
When    he    went    out    of    the 
land   of   Egypt. 

6.  (A    language    I    know    not    I 

hear.) 
I   eased   from   the  burden  his 

shoulder. 
His  hands   are   set   free   from 

the    basket. 

7.  In     trouble     thou     didst     call 

and    I    rescued    thee. 
Answering    thee    in    thunder- 
covert  ; 
Proving  thee  at  the  waters  of 
strife.  Selah. 

8.  Hear,    O    My    people,    and    I 

will   admonish   thee, 
O    Israel,    wouldst    thou    but 
hear  Me : 

9.  There    shall    be    in    thee    no 

strange   god, 
Nor     shalt     thou     worship     a 
foreign  god. 

10.  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God, 
Who    brought    thee    up    from 

the    land    of    Egypt ; 
Open    thy    mouth,    and    I    will 
fill    it. 

11.  But  My  people  heard  not  My 

voice, 
And    Israel    would    none    of 
Me; 

12.  So   I   gave   them    up   to   their 

own   hearts'   lusts, 
To     walk       in      their      own 
imaginings. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


333 


13  Oh  that  my  people  had 
hearkened  unto  me,  and  Israel  had 
walked    in    my  ways  I 

14  I  should  soon  have  subdued 
their  enemies,  and  turned  my  hand 
against  their  adversaries. 

15  The  haters  of  the  Lord 
should  have  submitted  themselves 
unto  him :  but  their  time  should 
have  endured  forever. 

16  He  should  have  fed  them  also 
with  the  finest  of  the  wheat :  and 
with  honey  out  of  the  rock  should 
I   have  satisfied  thee. 


13.  Oh  that  My  people  would  hear 

Mel 
That    Israel    would    walk    in 
My    ways  I 

14.  Soon   would     I    humble    their 

enemies. 
And    against    their    oppressors 
turn  My  hand. 

15.  Let    the    haters    of    the    Lord 

cringe    to    Him  I 
But  their  time  endureth  for  ever  I 

16.  And   He   shall    feed  him   with 

fat    of    wheat. 
And    with    rock    honey    I    will 
sate    thee. 


Passover 

This  was  a  Psalm  for  the  sacrifice  at  Tabernacles  or  Pass- 
over, or  both ;  in  later  use  it  was  assigned  to  Tabernacles.  It 
does  not  represent  the  situation  of  the  final  extreme  distress 
of  Israel,  as  do  the  preceding,  at  least  in  the  form  in  which 
they  have  come  down,  but  rather  the  same  condition  which 
is  represented  in  Deuteronomy,  or  perhaps  in  Hosea.  Its  rela- 
tion to  Deuteronomy  in  thought  and  language  is  very  close. 
For  the  enumeration  of  musical  instruments  in  1-3  cf .  95  ^, 
98  *"^  Chant  (2),  means  generally  singing  accompanied  with 
stringed  instruments,  but  sometimes  only  the  latter.  Trumpet 
(3),  especially  the  accompaniment  of  the  sacrifice  at  festivals, 
as  at  new  moon  (cf.  Num.  10^°).  Every  new  moon  was  a 
feast,  but  particularly  the  new  moon  in  the  Passover  and 
Tabernacle  months,  first  and  seventh.  Those  feasts  themselves 
fall  on  full  moon.  Went  out  of  (5),  referring  to  Israel's 
going  out  of  Egypt,  following  the  Greek.  The  Hebrew  reads 
went  out  over,  referring  to  God's  visitation  of  the  Egyptians; 
which  does  not  seem  so  well  to  fit  the  context.  The  reference  of 
this  verse  in  either  case  seems  to  suit  Passover  rather  than 
Tabernacles  (cf.  Ex.  12  "-13^"),  The  last  clause  of  this  verse, 
5  °,  seems  like  a  scholarly  gloss,  the  mention  of  Egyptian  op- 
pression suggesting  the  various  biblical  references  to  oppressors 
speaking  foreign  tongues  (cf.  114  \  Dt.  28*,  Jer.  5").  The 
use  of  the  story  of  Israel  in  this  and  the  following  verses  is 
characteristic  of  the  Asaph  Psalter.  For  verse  6  cf.  Ex.  1-6, 
11  *.  Basket,  the  common  method  today  of  carrying  earth,  and 
building  materials  such  as  wood  and  brick.  Thunder  covert 
(7),  a  reference  to  the  giving  of  the  Law  in  thunder  at  Horeb 


334 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


(cf.  Dt.  5,  Ex.  19).  The  reason  for  the  connection  with  this 
of  the  Meribah  incident  (7°),  the  strife  about  water  in  the 
wilderness  of  Zin,  which  resulted  in  the  exclusion  of  Moses 
from  the  promised  land,  is  not  clear,  and  this  clause  is  under 
suspicion  of  being  a  gloss.  The  Meribah  incident  is,  however, 
one  which  for  some  reason  played  a  large  part  in  popular 
tradition,  and  is  utilized  in  the  Deuteronomic  poem,  Dt.  33  ® 
(cf.  also  Num.  27  ^\  Ps.  95  «.  106  =^2).  The  following  verses, 
8-14,  depend  very  closely  on  Deuteronomy.  Verse  8  is  almost 
identical  with  50  ^,  which,  however,  uses  Eloliim,  God,  where 
our  Psalm  uses  Yahazveh,  Lord  (10).  For  9  cf.  Dt.  32"; 
for  10,  Dt.  5«;  for  12,  13,  Dt.  5 -^  6^  (cf.  also  Jer.  7 ".  2*, 
which  is  dependent  on  the  Deuteronomic  literature).  For 
15^  cf.  66^.  This  is  the  curse,  the  three  following  lines  being 
the  cry  of  those  whose  sacrifice  is  accepted  and  prayer  answered. 
Their  (15'')  is,  of  course,  Israel,  in  contrast  with  the  haters 
of  the  preceding  line.  The  closing  verse  (16)  is  made  out  of 
Dt.  32  13'  ^\ 

LXXXII 

A  Psalm  of  Asaph. 


GOD   standeth   in  the   congrega- 
tion of  the  mighty;  he  judgeth 
among    the    gods. 

2  How  long  will  ye  judge  un- 
justly, and  accept  the  persons  of 
the  wicked?    Selah. 

3  Defend  the  poor  and  father- 
less:  do  justice  to  the  afflicted  and 
needy. 

4  Deliver  the  poor  and  needy; 
rid  thctn  out  of  the  hand  of  the 
wicked. 

5  They  know  not,  neither  will 
they  understand ;  they  walk  on  in 
darkness :  all  the  foundations  of 
the  earth   are  out  of  course. 

6  I  have  said,  Ye  are  gods;  and 
all  of  you  are  children  of  the 
Most   High. 

7  But  ye  shall  die  like  men,  and 
fall  like  one  of  the  princes. 

8  Arise,  O  God,  judge  the  earth: 
for  thou  shalt  inherit  all  nations. 


1.  God    presideth    in    the    divine 

council ; 
In     the    midst    of     gods     He 
judgeth : 

2.  "How  long  judge  ye  unjustly. 

And  regard  the  person  of  the 

godless? 

Selah. 

3.  Judge    the    poor    and    father- 

less ; 
Right  the  afflicted  and  needy; 

4.  Rescue  the  poor  and  helpless  ; 
Save  them   from   the  hand  of 

of  the  godless." 

5.  In    darkness    they    walk; 
They    know    not,    nor    under- 
stand ; 

All    the    pillars    of    earth    are 
shaken. 

6.  I  said,  Ye  are  gods, 

And   sons   of   the   Highest,  all 
of  you ; 

7.  Yet   like   men   shall  ye   die, 
And    fall    like    any   prince. 

8.  Arise,    oh    God,    judge    Thou 

the  earth. 
For     all     nations     are     Thine 
heritage. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  335 

Judgment  of  the  Gods 

This  Psalm  resembles  58  (cf.  1  and  8  with  58"),  and  several 
Psalms  of  the  Asaph  Psalter,  in  using  as  its  theme  the  judgment 
of  God,  but  it  is  quite  sui  generis  in  its  treatment  of  that 
theme.  In  those  Psalms  God  judges  the  godless  or  wicked 
heathen  nations,  here  His  judgment  is  wrought  on  their  gods. 
The  conception  is  that  a  god  and  his  people  are  vitally  united, 
and  the  death  of  a  people  involves  the  destruction  of  its  gods ; 
but  the  true  God,  the  God  of  Israel,  can  not  die,  and  therefore 
His  people  are  eternal.  Moreover,  the  God  of  Israel  is  the 
great  God,  supreme  over  all  gods.  This  is  not  exactly  mono- 
theism, but  it  is  very  close  to  it.  We  find  the  same  idea 
presented  later  in  a  somewhat  different  form  in  Is.  24  "-22^  and 
Dan.  10-12.  It  is  inherent  also  in  the  picture  of  God's  assizes 
in  Job.  1.  God  is  represented  as  the  head  god  presiding  in  the 
council  (1)  or  congregation  of  El  (the  Greek  has  the  plural, 
Elim,  gods),  i.  e.,  the  divine  assembly  of  all  the  gods,  who  are, 
however,  subject  to  Him ;  which  is  equivalent  to  saying  that 
all  the  nations  are  subject  to  Him,  or  His  heritage  (8).  Their 
condemnation  is  for  their  favoritism  towards  the  ungodly,  i.  e., 
the  heathen  nations,  as  over  against  the  poor  and  needy,  etc., 
which  is  as  always  Israel  (2-4).  They  are  punished  because 
they  have  helped  their  nations  against  Israel  (2^).  They  know 
not,  etc.  (5)  is  a  familiar  phrase  in  Hebrew  literature  to  des- 
ignate the  wicked,  whose  wickedness  is  conceived  of  also  as  a 
blind  stupidity.  Compare  this  stanza  with  the  Persian  idea 
of  true  religion  (Yasna  XXXIV)  :  care  of  the  poor,  overthrow 
of  the  enemies.  Their  conduct  in  helping  their  nations  against 
Israel  contravenes  all  God's  plan  of  the  universe,  so  that  the 
world  is  shaken  to  its  foundations.  Hence  they  are  deposed 
from  their  divine  estate  and  perish  like  the  kings  and  the  na- 
tions which  they  represent.  The  last  verse  (8)  contains  the 
familiar  sacrificial  call  to  God  to  arise  and  show  himself.  The 
last  line  of  this  verse  presents  the  same  view  of  all  the  earth 
and  not  merely  Israel  as  God's  heritage  which  appears  also 
in  2  ^,  a  form  of  universalism  which  we  find  in  the  prophets 
from  Amos  onward.  6  ^  is  cited  by  Jesus  in  Jno.  10  ^*.  In 
the  Jewish  use,  according  to  the  Talmud,  this  Psalm  was  as- 
signed to  the  third  day  of  the  week,  Wednesday,  but  for  what 
reason  is  not  clear. 


336 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


LXXXIII 

A  Song,  a  Psalm  of  Asaph. 


KEEP  not  thou  silence,   O  God: 
hold  not  thy  peace,  and  be  not 
still    O    God. 

2  For,  lo,  thine  enemies  make  a 
tumult:  and  they  that  hate  thee 
have    lifted    up   the  head. 

3  They  have  taken  crafty  counsel 
against  thy  people,  and  consulted 
against  thy  hidden  ones. 

4  They  have  said.  Come,  and 
let  u«  cut  them  off  from  being  a 
nation ;  that  the  name  of  Israel 
may  be   no   more  in   remembrance. 

5  For  they  have  consulted 
together  with  one  consent :  they 
are  confederate  against  thee: 

6  The  tabernacles  of  Edom,  and 
the  Ishmaelites ;  of  Moab,  and  the 
Hagarenes ; 

7  Gebal,  and  Ammon,  and 
Amalek;  the  Philistines  with  the 
inhabitants  of  Tyre ; 

8  Assur  also  is  joined  with  them: 
they  have  holpen  the  children  of 
Lot.     Selah. 

9  Do  unto  them  as  unto  the 
Midianites;  as  to  Sisera,  as  to 
Jabin,   at   the  brook  of   Kison : 

10  Which  perished  at  En-dor : 
they  became  as  dung  for  the 
earth. 

11  Make  their  nobles  like  Oreb, 
and  like  Zeeb:  yea,  all  their 
princes  as  Zebah,  and  as  Zal- 
munna : 

12  Who  said.  Let  us  take  to 
ourselves  the  houses  of  God  in 
possession. 

13  O  my  God,  make  them  like 
a  wheel;  as  the  stubble  before  the 
wind. 


1.  God,     be     there    no    quiet    to 

Thee ; 
Hold    not    Thy   peace   nor   be 

still,   oh   God. 

2.  For,     behold.     Thine     enemies 

roar. 
And    Thy    haters    have    lifted 
their    head. 

3.  Against      Thy      people      they 

devise    craft. 
And     conspire     against     Thy 
saints. 

They    said : 

4.  Come    and    let    us    blot    them 

out    of    the    nations, 
That    the  name    of    Israel    be 
no     more     remembered. 

5.  For      they      are      confederate 

together, 
Against       Thee       have       they 
covenanted. 

6.  The    tents    of    Edom    and    the 

Ishmaelites, 
Moab  and  the  Hagrites, 

7.  Gebal       and       Ammon       and 

Amalek, 
Philistia  with  the  dwellers  of 
Tyre. 

8.  Ashur  also  is  joined  with  them. 
They     are    the     arm     of     the 

children  of  Lot. 

Selah. 

9.  Do    to    them    as   (to    Midian) 

to    Sisera, 
To  Jabin  at  the  river  Kishon; 
10.     Who    were    destroyed    at    En 
Dor, 
Became  offal  for  the  ground. 
11     Make    their    nobles    like    Oreb 
and   Zeeb, 
Like  Zebah  and  Zalmunna  all 
their  princes. 

12.  Who  said.  Let  us  take  posses- 

sion 
Of  the  heritage  of  God. 

13.  My    God,    make    them    like    a 

whirl. 
Like   chaflF   before    the    wind. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


337 


14  As  the  fire  burneth  a  wood, 
and  as  the  flame  setteth  the 
mountains  on  fire ; 

15  So  persecute  them  with  thy 
tempest,  and  make  them  afraid 
with    thy    storm. 

16  Fill  their  faces  with  shame; 
that  they  may  seek  thy  name, 
O  Lord. 

17  Let  them  be  confounded  and 
troubled  for  ever;  yea,  let  them 
be  put  to  shame,  and  perish: 

18  That  men  may  know  that 
thou,  whose  name  alone  is 
Jehovah,  art  the  Alost  High 
over  all  the  earth. 


14.  As  fire  burneth  the  forest. 
And    as     flame    kindleth    the 

mountains ; 

15.  So     pursue     them     with     Thy 

tempest. 
And   with   Thy   storm   dismay 
them. 

16.  Fill    their    faces    with    shame, 
That    they    seek    Thy    name, 

Lord. 

17.  Be     they     ashamed     and     dis- 

mayed  for  ever. 
And      be      confounded      and 
perish. 

18.  And     let     them     know     that 

Thou     (Thy     name.     Lord) 
alone 
Art    Most  High   over   all   the 
earth. 


The  Curse  of  Ashur 

Like  so  many  of  the  Psalms  of  Asaph,  this  is  a  psalm  of 
historical  remembrance,  reminding  God  of  His  mighty  deeds 
in  the  past,  as  motiving  an  appeal  to  Him  for  deliverance  from 
the  Assyrian  great  powder,  and  belongs  in  the  latter  days  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Israel,  after  the  time  of  Jeroboam  H.  The 
historical  references  are  taken  from  the  ancient  history  of 
Israel,  as  recorded  in  its  narratives :  the  wars  with  Amalek, 
Edom,  Ammon,  and  Moab,  the  Philistines,  the  Midianites, 
and  the  Canaanites.  Some  of  these,  like  Amalek,  had  passed 
out  of  existence  at  the  time  of  the  composition  of  this  poem, 
when  Assyria  was  the  great  enemy.  It  is  separated  into  two 
parts  by  the  selah;  the  first,  commencing  with  the  summons  to 
God  to  come  to  their  aid  (1),  describing  their  need  (2-8)  ;  the 
second,  containing  the  appeal  for  deliverance  and  victory 
(9-15),  the  curse  (16,  17),  and  the  final  sacrificial  praise  cry 
(18).  This  Psalm  is  utilized  in  Is.  62^"^  (cf.  also  Hab.  3).  In 
Verse  1  the  Greek  reads,  with  a  very  slight  variant  of  the 
Hebrew  text,  who  is  like  Thee  (cf.  89®),  in  substance  a  com- 
mon Hebrew  idea ;  but  Is.  62  ®  supports  our  reading.  For  2 " 
cf.  2^.  Thy  saints  (3),  i.  e.,  God's  people.  So  the  Greek. 
The  Hebrew  reads  Thy  northerners,  a  term  for  Israel  not 
found  elsewhere.  With  the  translation  of  two  letters  Is.  62 " 
reads  diadem,  which  may  have  been  the  original  reading,  cor- 
responding with  head  of  2.     For  2,  3,  5,  cf .  2  ^'  ^ ;  4,  cf .  74  ^. 


338  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Ishmaelites  (6),  cf.  Gen.  25"'";  with  whom  are  joined  the 
Edomites  who  refused  Israel  passage  through  their  land  at 
the  time  of  the  Exodus;  and  the  Hagrites,  i.  e.,  the  descendants 
of  Hagar,  with  whom  they  contended  in  the  settlement  of  the 
land  beyond  Jordan.  Moab  and  Ammon  (7)  were  their  enemies 
from  the  exodus  period  onward,  and  those  with  whom  es- 
pecially Israel  rather  than  Judah  was  at  war.  Gebal  (Josh.  13  ') 
was  a  southern  region  with  which  they  came  in  contact  in  the 
early  period,  so  also  Amalek  (Ex.  17==-^^  Num.  24  ""^  Dt.  25  ^•-^«, 
1  Sam.  15^),  long  since  extinct.  Philistia  was  another  ancient 
foe,  and  is  here  joined  with  slave  dealing  Tyre,  which  profited 
from  this  hostility  of  Philistia  to  Israel  much  as  in  Am.  1  •"", 
and  Jo.  3  *"*.  The  real  enemy  of  Israel's  existence,  however, 
is  the  present  great  Assyrian  power,  which  is,  therefore,  de- 
scribed as  in  league  (8)  with  these  enemies  of  the  olden  time, 
especially  Israel's  chief  foes  of  early  days,  Ammon  and  Moab, 
the  children  of  Lot.  Assyria  is  the  arm,  the  real  strength, 
compared  to  which  the  others  were  but  fingers  (cf.  Gen.  49"). 
To  Midian  (9)  may  be  a  gloss;  at  all  events  it  belongs  with 
vv.  10".  Sisera  and  Jabin,  combining,  as  does  our  present 
narrative  in  Judges  4,  5,  two  different  wars.  En  Dor  (10); 
the  defeat  of  Oreb  and  Zeeb  (11)  was  really  at  En  Harod,  a 
little  further  south.  En  Dor  was  near  the  site  of  the  defeat 
of  Sisera,  but  still  some  distance  from  that.  In  11  two  vic- 
tories over  Midian  are  confounded,  as  in  our  present  narrative 
in  Jud.  7,  8.  Verse  16  seems  to  be  in  part  or  in  whole  a  later 
insertion  (cf.  especially  Thy  name.  Lord).  The  same  words 
in  18  are  manifestly  a  gloss.  At  a  later  date,  after  its  adoption 
in  the  Jerusalem  Temple,  this  Psalm  seemed  particularly  adapted 
to  the  capture  of  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadrezzar,  and  the  lists 
of  names  particularly  may  have  been  somewhat  modified  at 
that  time ;  but  in  general  we  have  the  original  Asaphite  Psalm 
from  Bethel. 

This  is  one  of  the  Psalms  much  used  by  Kruger  in  the 
Boer  war  in  addresses  to  the  Volksraads  and  despatches  to  his 
officers. 

LXXXIV-LXXXIX 

This  is  a  further  collection  of  Psalms  from  the  northern  king- 
dom, in  the  main  from  the  temple  of  Dan,  which  have  a  different 
history  from  the  Israelite  hymns  contained  in  the  Prayers  of 
David  (51-72),  the  Korah  (42-49)  and  the  Asaph  (50,  73,  83) 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


339 


Psalters.  The  latter  are  collections  taken  over  bodily,  retaining 
for  the  most  part  their  original  form,  including  the  use  of 
Elohim  (God).  The  former  have  been  very  much  changed, 
adapted  more  fully  to  use  in  the  Jerusalem  Temple,  and  in 
general  Yahazvch  (Lord)  has  been  substituted  for  Elohim  (God). 
A  striking  evidence  of  this  is  found  in  Ps.  84,  where  the 
second  stanza  of  the  original  Psalm  has  been  replaced  by  rubrics 
directing  the  line  of  march  of  the  processional  at  which  this 
was  now  to  be  sung  in  Jerusalem  and  to  Zion  (see  in  loco). 
From  Psalm  87  it  would  appear  as  though  these  Psalms  existed 
in  writing  and  in  living  use  in  the  Temple  side  by  side  with 
the  others,  but  not  under  the  control  of  the  Temple  guild  of 
singers,  perhaps  now  the  Asaphites,  who  had  control  of  and 
had  shaped  the  rest  of  the  Jerusalem  Psalter  in  the  period 
succeeding  the  fall  of  Samaria.  When  this  guild  finally  ob- 
tained complete  control  of  the  Temple  music  these  Psalms 
also  were  taken  in  hand  by  them,  and  ultimately  added  to  the 
Korah  and  Asaph  collections  to  form  Book  III,  shortly  before 
the  Exile.     These  three  books  constitute  the  pre-exilic  Psalter. 


LXXXIV 

To  the  chief  Musician  upon  Gittith,  A  Psalm  for  the  sons  of  Korah. 


HOW    amiable    are    thy    taber- 
nacles,   O    Lord   of   hosts ! 

2  My  soul  longeth,  yea,  even 
fainteth  for  the  courts  of  the 
Lord:  my  heart  and  my  flesh 
crieth   out    for   the   living   God. 

3  Yea,  the  sparrow  hath  found 
a  house,  and  the  swallow  a  nest 
for  herself,  where  she  may  lay 
her  young,  even  thine  altars,  O  Lord 
of   hosts,   my   King,   and   my   God. 

4  Blessed  are  they  that  dwell 
in  thy  house :  they  will  be  still 
praising  thee.     Selah. 

5  Blessed  is  the  man  whose 
strength  is  in  thee ;  in  whose  heart 
are   the   ways    of   them. 

6  Who  passing  through  the  val- 
ley of  Baca  make  it  a  well ;  the 
rain  also    filleth    the    pools. 


1.  How    beloved    Thine    abode, 
Lord  of  Hosts ! 

2.  I     have     longed,     yea     fainted 

for  the  courts  of  the  Lord. 
With  heart,  and   flesh   I   shout 
the   joy  cry   to   the    God   of 
my    life. 

3.  The    very    birds    have    found 

a    home. 
And     the     swallow     a     nest 

where  she  put  her  young, 
Thine  altars,  Lord  of  Hosts, 
My   king   and   my    GoD. 

4.  Happy       they       that       inhabit 

Thine  house, 
That   alway    sing   Thy   praise! 

Selah. 

5.  Happy   he    whose    strength    is 

in    Theel 
(They  have  crossed  the  cause- 
way in  the  midst  thereof. 

6.  In  the    vale    of    weeping    the 

fountain  they  set. 
The     pool     also     the     leader 
encircleth. 


340 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


7  They  go  from  strength  to 
strength,  every  one  of  them  in 
Zion  appeareth   before   God. 

8  O  Lord  God  of  hosts,  hear  my 
prayer:  give  ear,  O  God  of 
Jacob.      Selah. 

9  Behold,  O  God  our  shield,  and 
look  upon  the  face  of  thine 
anointed. 

10  For  a  day  in  thy  courts  is 
better  than  a  thousand.  I  had 
rather  be  a  doorkeeper  in  the 
house  of  my  God,  than  to  dwell 
in   the  tents   of   wickedness. 

11  For  the  Lord  God  is  a  sun 
and  shield :  the  Lord  will  give 
grace  and  glory:  no  good  thing 
will  he  withold  from  them  that 
walk   uprightly. 

12  O  Lord  of  hosts,  blessed  is 
the  man  that  trusteth  in  thee. 


7.  From  rampart  to  rampart  they 

go. 
The   God  of   Gods   is  seen   in 
Zion.) 

8.  Lord  God   of   Hosts,  hear  my 

prayer. 
Hearken,  God  of  Jacob. 

Selah. 

9.  Behold,    oh    God,    our    shield, 
And      regard     the      face      of 

Thine   anointed. 

10.  For     better     a     day     in     Thy 

courts  than  an  army; 

I  had  rather  be  the  thres- 
hold in  God's  house, 

Than  a  fortress  in  the  cities 
of  the  godless. 

11.  For    sun     and   shield     is     the 

Lord  of  Hosts ; 

Favor  and  honor  the  Lord 
giveth. 

And  refuseth  no  good  to 
those  who  walk  in  clean- 
ness. 

12.  Lord   of   Hosts, 

Happy  he  who  trusteth  in 
Thee! 


A  Temple  Processional 

This  was  manifestly  in  its  original  form  a  hymn  of  Dan,  as 
the  title  indicates.  Hence  the  use  of  God  of  Jacob  (8)  and  of 
Elohim,  combined  in  the  later  Yahawistic  redaction  with 
Yahazveh.  It  was  a  processional  liturgy  for  one  of  the  great 
pilgrimage  feasts,  or  for  some  other  special  occasion,  and 
resembles  in  type,  form  and  phraseology  42,  43  (cf.  the  three 
stanzas,  marking  three  periods  in  the  liturgy,  and  the  similari- 
ties in  language  between  1  and  43  ^ ;  2  and  42  ^ ;  3  and  43  * ; 
4  and  42*;  7  and  42^).  It  was  later  converted  into  a  proces- 
sional for  similar  use  in  Jerusalem.  The  procession  commences 
on  the  western  hill,  about  where  the  great  synagogues  now 
stand,  from  which  one  can  look  down  and  into  the  Temple 
courts,  which  seem  to  the  worshippers  at  Zion  so  wondrously 
lovely.  Their  love  and  longing  are  most  touchingly  depicted 
in  the  first  stanza  (1-4),  which  ends  with  the  praise  cry  and 
the  Selah,  indicating,  perhaps,  the  first  sacrifice  at  this  point; 
for  in  such  liturgies,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  historical  books, 
sacrifices  were  offered  at  several  points.     The  swallow  (3)  ;  to 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  341 

this  day  birds,  swallows  especially,  similarly  inhabit  the  Haram 
esh-Sherif,  the  old  Temple  area.  My  king  and  my  God,  cf .  5  ^. 
This  stanza  has  a  refrain  (4),  as  do  the  stanzas  of  42,  43. 

Stanza  2  (5-8)  describes  the  route  of  the  procession:  first  over 
the  causeway  across  the  Tyropoeon  valley;  then,  down  the  east 
side  of  that  valley,  below  the  ancient  city  of  David,  to  the  outlet 
of  the  Silwan  tunnel,  which,  since  Hezekiah's  time,  brought  the 
water  under  the  hill  from  Gihon,  the  modern  Virgin's  spring, 
which  outlet  is  today  called  a  fountain  by  the  natives,  who 
use  the  very  same  word  for  it  which  appears  in  this  Psalm; 
then,  encircling  the  lower  pool,  called  t^  the  natives  today  a 
hirket,  the  same  word  used  in  our  Psalm ;  thence  it  turns  north- 
ward through  the  city  of  David,  rising  rampart  on  rampart; 
and  finally  reaches  the  south  gate  of  the  Temple,  the  same 
gate  which  was  in  the  Herodian  period  the  regular  gate  of  entry, 
I  have  purposely  translated  this  stanza  with  extreme  literalness, 
giving  the  Hebrew  words  their  natural  and  usual  meanings.  It 
has  been  misunderstood  by  scribes  and  commentators  through 
lack  of  acquaintance  with  the  topography,  and  with  the  results  of 
modern  topographical  study  and  excavations.  Taken  in  its  nat- 
ural sense  it  is  a  most  vivid  description  of  the  route  followed. 
I  have  gone  over  it,  following  the  directions  of  the  Psalm,  which 
are  rubrics  for  the  procession,  and  find  it  easy  to  trace 
and  identify  from  those  directions,  as  also  the  natural  and 
almost  inevitable  route  for  such  a  procession.  This  stanza  has 
no  refrain,  but  the  first  line  (5^)  is  strikingly  like  the  refrain 
of  the  other  stanzas.  Presumably  it  was  intended  to  be  chanted 
over  and  over  again  at  intervals  during  the  long  march,  mucb 
as  is  done  in  the  processions  of  the  country  today,  where  a 
few  words,  chanted  over  and  over,  accompanied  by  clapping  of 
hands,  or  rythmic  stamping  of  staves,  will  cover  a  long  dis- 
tance. I  fancy  this  was  chanted  at  intervals,  perhaps  varied 
by  other  songs  and  cries  of  a  volunteer  sort,  during  the  entire 
progress  of  the  procession  as  indicated  by  the  rubrics.  Cause-- 
way  (5)  ;  when  the  city  grew  on  to  the  western  hill,  it  prob- 
ably occupied  the  very  summit  of  that  hill,  its  northern  limit 
running  from  the  citadel  at  the  present  Jafl^a  gate  along  the 
edge  of  the  valley  or  wadi  extending  eastward  from  that  gate 
to  the  Tyropoeon.  This  and  more  was  included  in  the  walls  of 
the  Herodian  city,  and  the  two  parts  of  the  city,  east  and  west, 
were  connected  by  bridges  thrown  across  the  valley,  the  re- 
mains of  two  of  which  have  been  found.     Presumably  before 


342  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

that  period  some  such  connection  existed,  and  the  caiisezvay  of 
our    text   was   presumably    such   a    bridge,   or   connecting   way, 
joining  the  eastern  and  western  hills.     It  probably  stood  about 
at  Robinson's  arch,   one   of   the   two   bridge   sites   above   men- 
tioned, below  the  ancient  Temple  platform.     In  the  midst  there- 
of, means  in  the  middle  or  heart  of  the  city,  between  its  two 
hills.     In  the  vale  of  zveeping  (16),  i.  e.,  the  lower  Tyropoeon 
valley,   toward   the  pool   of    Silwan.      The   western   hill    in   this 
neighborhood  was  used  for  burial  purposes  in  the  time  of  the 
kings,  as  shown  by  the  excavations  conducted  there,  hence  the 
name.     One  of  the  wadis  or  valleys  near  Bethel,  full  of  tombs, 
was  similarly  called  vale  of  lueepers  (Jud.  2^),     They  set,  or 
in  our  idiom  was  set  or  made,  an  exact  description  of  the  way 
in   which   this   so-called    fountain   came   into   existence   by   the 
hand  of  man  and  not  of  nature.    Pool,  birket,  which  the  Hebrew 
text   has    mispointed   harakat,    blessing.      At   the   present    time 
the  Silwan  tunnel  pours  its  waters  into  a  small  pool,  called  a 
fountain.     Below  this  is  the  larger  birket,  or  pool,  not   fed  by 
the  fountain,  the  escape  of  which  is  carried  beneath  it,  but  a 
reservoir,    like   those   to    the    west    and    nonh    of    the    city,   to 
catch    the    water    draining    into    or    running    down    the    valley. 
Leader  or  teacher,  perhaps  the  leader  or  director  of   the  pro- 
cession ;  but  it  indicates  in  reality  the  movement  of  the  whole 
procession.    Encircleth,   literally   enwrappeth,   as   with   a   cloak, 
describing   picturesquely   the   eflfect   of    the   procession   winding 
around   the  pool.      This   encircled,    the   procession   reached   the 
scarped  rock  on  which  stood  the  lowest  battlement  of   David's 
city,  up  through  which  toward  the  Temple  gate  the  road  now 
leads.      This    hill    rises   almost   steplike,   as   can   be   seen    from 
any   map   of   levels.     Another   scarp   is   visible   just   above   the 
Virgin's  well,  once  the  citadel  of  David's  city,  a  hill  or  knoll 
of   considerable   height  before   it  was   cut  down   by   the   Mac- 
cabees  to  prevent   it   from   rivaling   or  dominating   the    Temple. 
The  phrase  from  rampart  to  rampart  they  go   (7)   is  therefore 
a  very  literal  description  of  the  ascent.     Arrived  at  the  Temple 
gate,  the  sanctuary  is   revealed,  the   God   of   Gods,   or  perhaps 
better  El-EIohim,   a   double   name   for   God   to   emphasize   His 
grandeur,  is  seen  in  Zion,  and  is  summoned  to  hearken  to  His 
people's  prayer  (8).     The  selah  may  indicate  a  sacrifice  at  the 
gate   of   the   Temple. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


343 


The  third  stanza  (9-12)  begins  with  the  prayer  (cf.  8) 
for  the  king,  called,  as  in  89",  the  shield  of  his  people  (9), 
as  also  God's  anointed.  Army  (10),  literally  thousand,  a  force 
of  soldiers,  a  regiment.  That  is,  God's  support,  as  won  by 
such  a  day  of  worship,  is  worth  more  than  an  army  to  the 
king  in  battling  against  his  foes.  Threshold;  as  they  were 
bowed  prostrate  on  the  ground  by  the  threshold,  like  so  many 
stones,  comes  this  cry,  that  it  is  better  and  more  honorable 
to  be  the  stones  at  the  gate  of  God's  house,  than  fortresses 
in  the  land  of  the  godless,  i.  e.,  the  unbelieving  heathen.  Sun 
(11),  not  elsewhere  applied  as  a  title  to  God  in  precisely  this 
way,  but  the  same  idea  appears  in  Is.  60  ^^'  ^°.  Cleanness,  a 
reference  to  the  ritual  purification  in  the  Temple,  symbolizing 
the  cleansing  of  the  life.  This  verse  assumes  favorable  answer 
of  the  prayers  for  the  king,  and  through  him  his  people,  and 
acceptance  of  the  final  great  sacrifice  offered  at  the  altar. 
For  the  general  method  of  such  a  processional  service,  with 
sacrifice  at  various  stages,  ending  with  the  great  sacrifice 
at  the  close,  cf .  2  Sam.  6  ^-"^^ 


LXXXV 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  for  the  sons  of  Korah. 


LORD,  thou  hast  been  favorable 
unto  thy  land :  thou  hast  brought 
back  the  captivity  of  Jacob. 

2  Thou  hast  forgiven  the  iniquity 
of  thy  people ;  thou  has  covered  all 
their  sin.    Selah. 

3  Thou  hast  taken  away  all  thy 
vi^rath :  thou  hast  turned  thyself 
from  the  fierceness  of  thine  anger. 

4  Turn  us,  O  God  of  our  salva- 
tion, and  cause  thine  anger  toward 
us  to  cease. 

5  Wilt  thou  be  angry  with  us 
forever?  wilt  thou  draw  out  thine 
anger    to    all    generations? 

6  Wilt  thou  not  revive  us  again : 
that  thy  people  may  rejoice  in  thee? 

7  Shew  us  thy  mercy,  O  Lord, 
and  grant  us  thy  salvation. 


1.  Thou   wast  gracious,   Lord,  to 

Thy  land, 
Didst  turn  the  captivity  of  Ja- 
cob; 

2.  Thou   didst   remove   Thy   peo- 

ple's guilt, 
Covered  all  their  sin. 

Selah. 

3.  Thou   didst  withdraw  all  Thy 

rage, 
Didst     turn     from     Thy     hot 
wrath. 

4.  Turn  us,  God  of  our  salvation, 
And    annul    Thine    anger    us- 

ward ! 

5.  Wilt   Thou  be  wroth   with  us 

forever? 
Prolong    Thy    wrath    through- 
out   the    ages  ? 

6.  Wilt  thou  not  quicken  us  again, 
That  Thy  people  may  rejoice 

in  Thee? 

7.  Show  us  Thy  love.  Lord, 
And  grant  us  Thy  salvation  I 


344 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


8  I  will  hear  what  God  the  Lord 
will  speak :  for  he  will  speak  peace 
unto  his  people,  and  to  his  saints : 
but  let  them  not  turn  again  to 
folly. 

9  Surely  his  salvation  is  nigh 
them  that  fear  him ;  that  glory  may 
dwell  in  our  land. 

10  Mercy  and  truth  are  met  to- 
gether; righteousness  and  peace 
have  kissed  each  other. 

11  Truth  shall  spring  out  of  the 
earth ;  and  righteousness  shall  look 
down  from  heaven. 

12  Yea,  the  Lord  shall  give  that 
which  is  good ;  and  our  land  shall 
yield  her  increase. 

13  Righteousness  shall  go  before 
him;  and  shall  set  us  in  the  way  of 
his  steps. 


8.  Let    me   hear    what    the    Lord 

God    saith, 
For  He  speaketh  peace  to  His 

people, 
(And  to  His  saints,  and  them 

that     turn     their     hearts     to 

Him) 

9.  Yea,  His  salvation  is  nigh  them 

that  fear  Him, 
That  glory  may  dwell  in  our 
land. 

10.  Love  and  truth  are  met. 
Righteousness  and  peace  have 

kissed ; 

11.  Truth    sprouteth    out    of    the 

earth, 
And  righteousness  hath  looked 
down  from  heaven. 

12.  Both  the  Lord  giveth  prosper- 

ity, 
And   our  land   giveth   her  in- 
crease. 

13.  Righteousness     goeth     before 

Him, 
And    maketh     His     steps    her 
path. 


Peace  and  Prosperity 

There  seems  to  be  no  special  sacrificial  motive  in  this  Psalm. 
It  might  well  be  a  Psalm  to  be  sung  after  such  a  processional 
as  the  preceding,  in  connection  with  the  feasting  which  took 
place  at  its  close.  Like  that  Psalm  it  originated  in  the  tem- 
ple of  Dan,  and  was  adapted  to  use  in  the  Jerusalem  Temple. 
We  have  characteristic  ideas  and  phrases  of  the  northern  king- 
dom, such  as  the  appeal  for  present  deliverance  by  reminding 
God  of  the  ancient  mercies  in  the  Exodus  and  the  wilderness, 
and  the  use  of  Jacob;  on  the  other  hand  it  is  Yahawistic 
throughout.  As  it  has  come  down  to  us  it  was  a  Psalm  of 
the  latter  days  of  the  Judean  kingdom. 

It  commences  with  the  reminder  of  God's  deliverance  of 
Jacob,  i.  e.,  Israel,  from  the  Egyptian  bondage  and  His  long 
suffering  forgivingness  in  the  wilderness  wanderings  (1,  2), 
ending  with  the  burst  of  praise,  selah  (cf.  Num.  14  ^^  1  K. 
8®*).  Originally  this  was  the  basis  of  a  plea  for  a  new  deliv- 
erance of  Israel,  being  piecemeal  carried  into  Assyrian  cap- 
tivity. Cf.  for  the  expectation  of  Israel's  deliverance  from 
captivity  the  prophets  of  the  period  (Jer.  33^,  Mic.  7").    Here 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  345 

it   is   the   basis    of    a    plea    for   deliverance    of  Judah    from    a 
similar   fate.     The   next   verse    (3),    following  the   praise   out- 
burst,   repeats   the   motive    of    1,   2    (cf.  for   phraseology    and 
thought   78 '^  Ex.   32  ^^^   Dt.   13"),  which   is   followed  imme- 
diately by  the  plea    (4-7),  introduced   by  a  passage   similar  to 
80  ^.      The    whole   plea    reminds    one    of    the    Psalms    of    the 
northern  kingdom    (cf.  44,  71,  74,  79,  80).     Sahation    (7,  9) 
is  almost   synonymous   with   victory.      Then    follows   the   sum- 
mons  to   listen  to   God's   favorable  answer    (8,  9).      The   last 
clause  of  8  appears  to  be  a  prose  gloss  of  later  date,  explain- 
ing  that   this   only   affects   the   holy   ones   among   His   people. 
Turn    their    hearts,    following    the    Greek ;    the   Hebrew    text 
appears  to  be  impossible  (but  cf.  78").    God's  answer  (10,  11) 
is    very    beautifully    expressed    in    an    unusual    personification 
of  the  attributes  Love,  Truth,  Righteousness  and  Peace,  which 
(10)  are  represented  as  coming  together,  as  men  meeting  on  the 
street  from  opposite  directions,  and  greeting  with  the  kiss  of 
friendship;    (11)    heaven   and   earth   united,   the   theme   of   the 
Angelic  Hymn,  Luke  2  ".    Abandoning  the  personification  of  the 
answer  the  final  verses  (12,  13)  sum  up  the  meaning:  God  receives 
favorably  the  prayer  and  sacrifice,  and  He  will  give  the  good 
things  needed   from  above   (cf.  84"),  and  earth,  blessed  with 
peace,  shall  yield  her  crops  and  herds.     Righteousiicss,  i.  e.,  jus- 
tice, good  government,  order,  shall  go  before  and  follow  after 
Him,  who   has   accepted   His   people.     A   tempting  emendation 
would  make  the  last  line  read :     And  peace  in  the  track  of  His 
steps,  i.  e.,  following  after  Him;  but  this  is  not  supported  by 
any  textual  evidence. 

This  was  a  favorite  Psalm  of  the  great  Cromwell. 


BOW   down   thine   ear,   O    Lord, 
hear  me :   for  I   am  poor   and 
needy. 

2  Preserve  my  soul;  for  I  am 
holy:  O  thou  my  God,  save  thy 
servant  that  trusteth  in  thee. 

3  Be  merciful  unto  me,  O  Lord : 
for  I  cry  unto  thee  daily. 

4  Rejoice  the  soul  of  thy  servant : 
for  unto  thee,  O  Lord,  do  I  lift 
up  my  soul. 


LXXXVI 

A  prayer  of  David. 

1.  Incline,   Lord,   Thine   ear,   an- 
swer  me. 

For  poor  and  needy  am  I. 

2.  Guard  my  life,  for  I  am  godly. 
Save  Thy  servant,  Thou,  my  God, 
That  trusteth  in  Thee. 


3.  Show    me    favor.    Lord, 

For  unto   Thee   I  call  all  the 
day. 

4.  Gladden  the  soul  of  Thy  ser- 

vant, 
For   unto   Thee,    Lord,    lift    I 
up  my  soul. 


346 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


5  For  thou,  Lord,  art  good,  and 
ready  to  forgive ;  and  plenteous  in 
mercy  unto  all  them  that  call  upon 
thee. 

6  Give  ear,  O  Lord,  unto  my 
prayer;  and  attend  to  the  voice  of 
my  supplications. 

7  In  the  day  of  my  trouble  I  will 
call  upon  thee:  for  thou  wilt  an- 
swer me. 

8  Among  the  gods  there  is  none 
like  unto  thee,  O  Lord ;  neither  are 
there  any  zvorks  like  unto  thy 
works. 

9  All  nations  whom  thou  hast 
made  shall  come  and  worship  be- 
fore thee,  O  Lord;  and  shall 
glorify  thy  name. 

10  For  thou  art  great,  and  doest 
wondrous  things :  thou  art  God 
alone. 

11  Teach  me  thy  way,  O  Lord;  I 
will  walk  in  thy  truth:  unite  my 
heart  to  fear  thy  name. 

12  I  will  praise  thee,  O  Lord  my 
God,  with  all  my  heart:  and  I  will 
glorify  thy  name  for  evermore. 

13  For  great  is  thy  mercy  to- 
ward me :  and  thou  hast  delivered 
my  soul  from  the  lowest  hell. 

14  O  God,  the  proud  are  risen 
against  me,  and  the  assemblies  of 
violent  vicn  have  sought  after  my 
soul;  and  have  not  set  thee  before 
them. 

15  But  thou,  O  Lord,  art  a  God 
full  of  compassion,  and  gracious, 
longsufTering,  and  plenteous  in 
mercy  and  truth. 

16  O  turn  unto  me,  and  have 
mercy  upon  me;  give  thy  strength 
unto  thy  servant,  and  save  the  son 
of  thine  handmaid. 

17  Shew  me  a  token  for  good ; 
that  they  which  hate  me  may  see  it, 
and  be  ashamed :  because  thou.  Lord, 
hast  holpen  me,  and  comforted  me. 


5.  For  Thou,  Lord,  art  good  and 

forgiving. 
And  abounding  in  love  to  all 
that  call  Thee. 

6.  Give  ear.  Lord,  to  my  prayer, 
And  heed  the  voice  of  my  sup- 
plication. 

7.  In    the    day  'of    my    trouble    I 

call   Thee ; 
For  Thou  answerest  me. 

8.  There  is  none  like  Thee  among 

the  gods.  Lord, 
And  nought  like  Thy  works. 

9.  All    nations    that    Thou    hast 

made  shall  come. 
And  bow  before   Thee,   Lord, 
and   magnify   Thy  name. 

10.  For     Thou     art     great     and 

workest  wonders ; 
Thou  art  God  alone. 

11.  Teach  me,  Lord,  Thy  way. 
I  walk  in  Thy  truth, 

My  heart  rejoiceth  to  fear  Thy 
name. 

12.  I  praise  Thee,  (Lord  my)  God, 

with  all  my  heart. 
And    magnify    Thy    name    for 
ever; 

13.  For  Thy  love  is  great  toward  me, 
And    Thou    hast    rescued    me 

from  the  nethermost  pit. 

14.  God,     the     proud     are     risen 

against  me. 

And  the  congregation  of  the 
violent  have  sought  my  life. 

And  have  not  set  Thee  be- 
fore them. 

15.  And    Thou,    Lord,    art    a   god 

merciful   and  gracious. 
Slow  to  anger  and  abounding 
in    love    and    truth. 

16.  Turn    to    me    and    show    me 

favor: 

Give  Thy  strength  to  Thy  ser- 
vant, 

And  victory  to  the  son  of 
Thine  handmaid. 

17.  Make  me  a  sign  for  good, 
That  Thy  haters  may  see  and 

be   shamed ; 
Because     Thou,      Lord,     hast 
holpen  me  and  comforted  me. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  347 

Thou,  Lord,  Hast  Holpen 

This  Psalm  is  unique  in  the  Psalter  in  its  use  throughout  of 
the  three  names  for  the  Divinity,  Elohim,  Yahaweh,  and  Adonai 
(and  once  El),  a  use  which  is  the  result  of  growth  and  revision. 
According  to  its  title  it  is  a  prayer  or  penitential  Psalm,  orig- 
inally belonging  to  the  Shechem  Psalter,  and  therefore  Elohis- 
tic.  Like  the  other  Psalms  of  this  collection  it  was  Yahawised, 
i.  e.,  in  general  Yahaweh  substituted  for  Elohim.  At  a  late 
date  a  number  of  Adonistic  verses,  i.  e.,  using  Adonai,  Lord, 
for  the  divine  name,  were  inserted,  which  may  be  omitted  with- 
out destroying  the  original  plan  of  the  liturgy.  The  pre-exilic 
Psalm  apparently  consisted  of  verses  1,  2,  6,  7,  10-13,  16,  17. 
The  present  Psalm  consists  of  three  main  parts,  the  petition 
for  forgiveness  and  mercy  (1-7),  closing  with  the  assurance  of 
God's  favorable  acceptance ;  the  praise  song,  extolling  God's 
power  and  great  deeds  (8-13),  and  the  prayer  for  victory  over 
the  enemy,  ending  with  the  assurance  of  God's  help  (14-17). 
Poor  and  needy  (1),  and  godly  (2)  are  in  use  synonymous  as 
designations  of  the  believing  Judeans  and  Israelites  in  con- 
trast with  the  godless  heathen.  The  Adonistic  additions  are 
rather  unoriginal.  Verses  3,  4  echo  1,  2,  and  5  is  dependent  on 
Ex.  34^;  8  is  made  up  from  Ex.  15"  and  Dt.  3^*;  9  suggests 
dependence  on  Is.  66-^;  and  14,  15  .are  borrowed  entire  from 
54^  and  Ex.  34^  respectively.  Like  Thee  among  the  gods  (8) 
is  scarcely  consistent  with  the  higher  monotheism  of  10.  Way 
(11),  a  regular  designation  of  the  religion.  Truth  (11):  this 
continual  emphasis  on  truth,  and  the  designation  of  the  heathen 
so  often  as  worshippers  of  lies  will  be  better  understood  if 
one  studies  the  remains  of  the  Egyptian  cult  which  have 
come  down  to  us  in  such  great  numbers,  the  silly  and  de- 
moralizing devices  to  cheat  and  deceive  and  circumvent  the 
gods,  the  absolute  lack  of  faithfulness  and  truth.  The  object 
of  their  religious  rites,  and  especially  of  those  dealing  with  the 
future  world,  was  to  perpetrate  a  fraud  upon  the  gods  they 
professed  to  worship,  to  substitute  shams  for  reality,  and  to 
cheat  the  gods  by  means  of  magic  formulae.  The  Egyptians 
carried  this  to  its  legitimate  conclusion,  developing  a  sort  of 
pseudo-science;  but  it  was  present  in  all  the  religions  of  the 
neighboring  peoples  with  whom  the  Hebrews  came  in  contact. 
In  contrast  with  this  the  Psalmists  designated  their  God  as  a 
God  of  love  and  truth,  and  truth  or  faithfulness  in  their  own 


348 


THE  PSALAIS  AS  LITURGIES 


relations  to  God  is  continually  emphasized  as  one  of  the  cardi- 
nal virtues.  Lord  (12)  is  a  later  addition,  which  mars  the 
rhythm;  the  original  was  Elohim,  God.  Pit  (13),  Heb. 
Sheol.  For  phrase  nethermost  Sheol  of.  the  kindred  Dt.  32  ^^. 
Sign  (17)  :  the  sign  desired  was  partly  the  ritual  acceptance 
of  their  prayers  and  sacrifice,  partly  the  evidence  of  this  in 
success  against  their  foes. 


LXXXVII 

A  Psalm  or  Song  for  the  sons  of  Korah. 


H 


IS    foundation    is    in    the    holy 
mountains. 

2  The  Lord  loveth  the  gates  of 
Zion  more  than  all  the  dwellings 
of    Jacob. 

3  Glorious  things  are  spoken  of 
thee,  O  city  of  God.    Selah. 

4  I  will  make  mention  of  Rahab 
and  Babylon  to  them  that  know  me : 
behold  Philistia,  and  Tyre,  with 
Ethiopia ;  this  mayi  was  born  there. 

5  And  of  Zion  it  shall  be  said, 
This  and  that  man  was  born  in  her : 
and  the  Highest  himself  shall  estab- 
lish  her. 

6  The  Lord  shall  count,  when  he 
writeth  up  the  people,  that  this  man 
was  born  there.     Selah. 

7  As  well  the  singers  as  the 
players  on  instruments  shall  be 
there :   all  my  springs  are   in  thee. 


I.    His    foundation   in    Mountains 
of  sanctuary. 

2.  The  Lord  loveth  the  gates  of 

Zion 
More    than    all    the    dwellings 
of  Jacob. 

3.  Glorious  things  are  spoken  of 

Thee, 
O  city  of  God. 

Selah. 

4.  I  will  count  Rahab  and  Babel 

of  them  that  know  Me; 
Philistia     and     Tyre,     with 

Ethiopia ; 
This  one  was  born  there. 

5.  And  of  Zion  it  shall  be  said: 
Each   and    every   was   born   in 

her; 
And  the  Most  High,  He  estab- 

lisheth  her. 
The    Lord    will    write    in    the 

book  of  the  nations: 
This     one     was     born     there. 

Selah. 

6.  (Singers  and  pipers  together.) 
All  my  foundations  in  thee. 


All  My  Foundations  in  Thee 

Originally  a  praise  song  of  Dan,  this  has  been  converted  into 
a  praise  song  of  the  Zion  of  Jerusalem.  The  first  verse  is  a 
title,  praise  of  the  shrine  built  on  or  at  the  mountains  of  sanc- 
tuary, i.  e.,  mountains  possessing  a  peculiar  sanctity,  like 
Hermon ;  but  by  the  following  verse  referred  to  Jerusalem  (un- 
less, indeed,  Hermon,  as  suggested  before,  means  simply  sanc- 
tuary). Verse  2,  the  transference  of  Israel's  religion  and  Israel's 
hope  from  the  kingdom  of  the  north  to  Judah,  as  in  78  ""^®.    City 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


349 


of  God  (3),  a  designation  of  Dan  in  46  ^  48^-  ^  now  applied  to 
Zion  of  Jerusalem.  Verses  4,  5  express  the  same  universalism 
which  appears  in  Ps.  46-48,  in  the  old  prophecies  used  in 
Mic.  4  and  Is.  2,  and  in  the  beautiful  prophecy  of  the  re- 
ligious brotherhood  of  Judah,  Assyria  and  Egypt  in  Is.  19. 
All  nations  shall  know  Yahaweh  and  worship  Him  in  Zion, 
and  the  natives  of  various  nations,  all  shall  be  counted  as  be- 
longing to  Jerusalem  in  Yahaweh's  book  of  nations.  The 
nations  here  mentioned  are  those  of  special  importance  to 
Judah  in  the  last  years  of  the  kingdom.  Rahab,  an  ancient 
mythical  monster,  used  as  a  title  of  Egypt  (Is.  30^).  Cush  or 
Ethiopia  (4),  the  dominant  power  in  Egypt  in  the  7th  century. 
Book  of  the  nations  (5),  or  book  of  life,  a  common  Hebrew 
conception  from  an  early  period  (cf.  69^®,  Is.  4^).  The  first 
clause  of  6  seems  to  be  a  rubric  directing  that  singers  accom- 
panied by  pipes  shall  sing  the  chorus.  All  my  foundations  in 
thee;  a  characteristic  idea  of  the  Dan  Psalter  (cf.  42,  46), 
but  which  by  Hezekiah's  time  might  fairly  be  applied  to  Zion, 
supplied  as  it  then  was  with  abundant  water  sources. 

The  first  verse  of  this  Psalm  is  the  motto  of  the  University 
of  Durham. 


LXXXVIII 

A  Song  or  Psalm  for  the  sons  of  Korah.  to  the  chief  Musician  upon  Mahalath  Lennoth, 

Maschil  of  Heman  the  Ezrahite. 


OLORD    God  of    my    salvation, 
I  have  cried  day  and  night  be- 
fore thee : 

2  Let  my  prayer  come  before 
thee :  incline  thine  ear  unto  my  cry ; 

3  For  my  soul  is  full  of  troubles : 
and  my  life  draweth  nigh  unto  the 
grave. 

4  I  am  counted  with  them  that  go 
down  into  the  pit :  I  am  as  a  man 
that  hath  no  strength : 

5  Free  among  the  dead,  like  the 
slain  that  lie  in  the  grave,  whom 
thou  rememberest  no  more :  and 
they  are  cut  off  from  thy  hand. 

6  Thou  hast  laid  me  in  the  lowest 
pit,  in   darkness,   in   the   deeps. 


1.  Lord,  God  of  my  salvation,  day 

and  night  I  have  cried  be- 
fore   Thee, 

2.  Let   my    prayer   come   to    Thy 

face,  bow  Thine  ear  to  my 
call! 

3.  For  I  am  sated  with  troubles, 

and  my  life  they  have  struck 
down    to    hell. 

4.  I  am  counted  with  those  gone 

down  to  the  pit,  I  am  be- 
come like  a  man  without 
help. 

5.  Among  the  dead  am  I,  like  the 

slain  that  lie  in  the  grave. 
Whom  Thou   rememberest   no 
more,   and  they  are  cut   off 
from   Thee. 

6.  Thou    hast    laid    me    in    the 

nether  pit,  in  darkness  in 
the  gulf. 


350 


THE  PSALMS  AS  IJTURGIES 


7  Thy  wrath  lieth  hard  upon  me, 

and  thou  hast  afflicted  mc  with  all 
thy  waves.     Selah. 

8  Thou  hast  put  away  mine  ac- 
quaintance far  from  me ;  thou  hast 
made  me  an  abomination  unto 
them :  /  am  shut  up,  and  I  cannot 
come   forth. 

9  Mine  eye  mourneth  by  reason 
of  affliction:  Lord,  I  have  called 
daily  upon  thee,  I  have  stretched 
out   my   hands   unto    thee. 

10  Wilt  thou  shew  wonders  to 
the  dead?  shall  the  dead  arise  and 
praise  thee?     Selah. 

11  Shall  thy  lovingkindness  be 
declared  in  the  grave?  or  thy 
faithfulness  in  destruction? 

12  Shall  thy  wonders  be  known 
in  the  dark?  and  thy  righteousness 
in  the  land  of  forgetfulness? 

13  But  unto  thee  have  I  cried, 
O  Lord  ;  and  in  the  morning  shall 
my  prayer  prevent  thee. 

14  Lord,  why  castest  thou  off  my 
soul?  why  hidest  thou  thy  face 
from   me? 

15  I  am  afflicted  and  ready  to 
die  from  my  youth  up :  while  I 
suffer  thy  terrors  I  am  distracted. 

16  Thy  fierce  wrath  goeth  over 
me ;  thy  terrors  have  cut  me  off. 

17  They  came  round  about  me 
daily  like  water;  they  compassed 
me    about   together. 

18  Lover  and  friend  hast  thou 
put  far  from  me,  and  mine  ac- 
quaintance into  darkness. 


7.  Thy  wrath  hath  pressed  upon 

me,  and  with  all  Thy  waves 
Thou  hast  afflicted  me. 

Selah. 

8.  Thou    has    put    far    mine    ac- 

quaintance   from    me.    Thou 
hast  made  me  an  offense  to 
them. 
{Ended,  and  does  not  go  on.) 

9.  Mine  eye  wasteth  through  af- 

fliction;  I  have  called  Thee, 
Lord,  all  day, 
I    have    spread    out    to    Thee 
mine  hands. 

10.  Dost  Thou  work  wonders  for 

the  dead,  or  shall  the  shades 
arise  and  praise  Thee? 

Selah. 

11.  Is  Thy  Love  recounted  in  the 

grave,    Thy    truth   in    Aban- 
don? 

12.  Are    Thy    wonders    known    in 

darkness,  and  Thy  justice  in 
the    land    of    oblivion? 

13.  And  I — to  Thee,  Lord,  I  have 

appealed,       at       dawn       my 
prayer  doth  meet  Thee. 

14.  Why     castest     Thou     me     off. 
Lord,    hidest    Thy    face    from 

me? 

15.  Afflicted     am     I     and     feeble 

from    youth ;    I    have    borne 
Thy  terrors  exceedingly. 

16.  Thy     fierce     wrath     is     gone 

over  me,  Thine  alarms  have 
overwhelmed  me ; 

17.  They  have  surrounded  me  like 

water    daily,    have    encircled 
me    altogether. 

18.  Lover    and    friend    Thou   hast 

put   far  from   me,  mine   ac- 
quaintance—  (Darkness). 


Two  Fragments 

We  have  here,  according  to  the  heading  and  the  notes,  two 
incomplete  Psalms,  the  former  derived  from  the  old  Korah 
Psalter  of  the  Temple  of  Dan,  to  be  led  by  the  flute,  and  desig- 
nated as  a  penitential  (le  annoth,  to  make  penitence)  ;  the  later 
designated  as  a  maskil  of  Heman  the  Ezrahite,  i.  e.,  as  pointed 
out  in  the  Introduction,  Heman  the  aboriginal.     According  to 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  351 

1  K.  4^^  he  was  a  proverb  maker  of  Solomon's  court,  the 
son  of  Mahol,  and  in  fact  the  language  of  his  Psalm  has  curi- 
ous affinities  with  the  Wisdom  literature.  The  Chronicler, 
basing  apparently  on  the  appearance  of  the  name  in  the  heading 
of  this  Psalm,  makes  him  in  one  place  (1  Chr.  2°)  the  son 
of  a  certain  Ezrah  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  and  in  another 
(-gisff,  3sff^  J517, 19)  ^  Korahite  musician,  the  leader  of  one 
of   the   ancient   singing  guilds. 

The  Psalm  commences  with  familiar  penitential  motives 
(cf.  for  1  Ps.  22-),  describing  the  desperate  need  of  God's 
people,  likely  to  perish  altogether,  originally  Danite  but  now 
applied  to  Judah.  Salvation  (1),  or  victory.  He  is  the  God 
who  once  gave  them  victory.  Hell  (3),  Heb.  Sheol  (3-6).  For 
the  description  of  the  condition  of  those  in  Sheol  very  illuminat- 
ing, cf.  also  28*,  Is.  38 «.  Without  help  (4),  text  probably 
corrupt,  meaning  uncertain.  Am  I  (5),  a  suggested  change 
of  one  letter  in  the  Hebrew,  but  the  true  text  uncertain.  The 
description  is  of  the  nameless  dead  of  the  battle  field,  stripped 
of  their  arms,  not  receiving  proper  rites  of  sepulture,  and  con- 
signed in  consequence  to  the  lowest  depths  of  Sheol,  the  dark 
gulf  of  the  nethermost  pit ;  whence  the  bottomless  pit  of  Rev- 
elation. Their  memory  is  lost  even  to  God  (5),  a  clause  which 
may  be  a  later  addition.  Thy  waves  (7),  a  Danite  motive 
(cf.  42  0-  V.  8,  cf.  Job  19"'  ^\  30'°.  At  the  close  of  8  there 
is  what  seems  to  be  the  note  of  a  scribe  to  the  effect  that  this 
Psalm  which  he  was  copying  broke  ofT  at  this  point. 

The  second  fragment,  connected  with  the  preceding,  appar- 
ently because  of  general  similarity  of  theme  and  especially  of 
the  concluding  verse  of  each  part,  commences  with  verse  9. 
Shades  (10),  cf.  Is.  14  ^  Job  26  ^  Abaddon  (11),  apparently 
originally  a  deity  of  the  underworld,  used  only  in  Wisdom 
literature  (cf.  Job  26 «,  28",  31  ^^^  Prov.  15".  27=0).  Prayer 
at  dawn  (13),  i.  e.,  the  morning  sacrifice.  Verse  14  reminds 
of  43  2,  44^'^*.  From  youth  (15),  reference  to  the  familiar 
old  story  of  Israel's  early  years.  The  text  of  15  *>  is  of  doubtful 
meaning.  The  phraseology  of  16^  is  strikingly  like  Job  6*,  17^* 
(but  cf.  also  18  *).  Verse  18  is  very  similar  to  8,  the  concluding 
verse  of  the  first  fragment.  The  last  clause  of  this  verse  is 
incomplete  and  the  scribe  has  written  here  the  word  darkness, 
apparently  to  indicate  that  the  rest  of  the  tablet  was  illegible. 
This   is   the  one   hopeless   Psalm   of   the  Psalter,  ending  in   a 


352 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


note  of  apparent  despair,  because  the  conclusion  of  both  litur- 
gies, which  always  carries  the  note  of  hope,  has  been  lost. 


T  ^ILL  sing  of  the  mercies  of 
-■-  the  Lord  for  ever:  with  my 
mouth  will  I  make  known  thy 
faithfulness    to    all    generations. 

2  For  I  have  said,  Mercy  shall 
be  built  up  for  ever:  thy  faithful- 
ness shalt  thou  establish  in  the 
very  heavens. 

3  I  have  made  a  covenant  with 
my  chosen,  I  have  sworn  unto 
David  my  servant, 

4  Thy  seed  will  I  establish  for 
ever,  and  build  up  thy  throne  to 
all  generations.     Selah. 

5  And  the  heavens  shall  praise 
thy  wonders,  O  Lord:  thy  faithful- 
ness also  in  the  congregation  of 
the  saints. 

6  For  who  in  the  heaven  can 
be  compared  unto  the  Lord?  who 
among  the  sons  of  the  mighty  can 
be  likened  unto  the  Lord? 

7  God  is  greatly  to  be  feared  in 
the  assembly  of  the  saints,  and 
to  be  had  in  reverence  of  all 
them   that  are   about  him. 

8  O  Lord  God  of  hosts,  who  is 
a  strong  Lord  like  unto  thee?  or 
to  thy  faithfulness  round  about 
thee? 

9  Thou  rulest  the  raging  of  the 
sea:  when  the  waves  thereof  arise, 
thou  stillest  them. 

.10  Thou  hast  broken  Rahab  in 
pieces,  as  one  that  is  slain;  thou 
ftast  scattered  thine  enemies  with 
thy    strong   arm. 

^V^^^  heavens  are  thine,  the 
earth  also  is  thine:  as  for  the 
world  and  the  fulness  thereof, 
thou   hast    founded   them 


LXXXIX 

Maschil  of  Ethan  the  Ezrahite. 
1 


The  mercies  of  the  Lord  I 
would    sing    forever; 

To  the  ages  make  known  Thy 
faithfulness  (with  my 
mouth). 

For   I   said,   Love   is   built   up 

forever, 
In   heaven   itself   Thou   estab- 

lishest    Thy    truth: 

3.  "I  made  a  covenant  with  My 

chosen, 
I   swore   unto   David   My   ser- 
vant: 

4.  I   will   establish   thy   seed    for- 

ever. 
And    for    the    ages    build    thy 
throne." 

Selah. 

5.  The  heavens  praise  Thy  won- 

ders,   Lord  ; 
Thy    faithfulness    in    the    as- 
sembly of  saints. 

6.  For   who   in   the   sky   is    equal 

to   the    Lord  ? 
Is  like  to  the  Lord  among  the 
sons  of  gods? 

7.  A   god  terrible   in   the  council 

of  the  saints. 
Great    and    fearful    above    all 
about   Him. 

8.  Lord,    God   of    Hosts,    who   is 

like    Thee? 
Thy  love  and  Thy  truth  round 
about  Thee. 


9.     Thou    rulest    over    the    pride 
of  the  sea; 
When    its    waves    rise.    Thou 
tamest  them. 

10.  Thou  hast  crushed  Rahab  like 

one    slain ; 
With  the  arm  of  Thy  strength 
hast  scattered   Thy   foes. 

11.  Thine  the  heavens,  Thine  also 

earth ; 
The   world   and   its    fulness — 
Thou   hast  founded   them; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


353 


12  The  north  and  the  south 
thou  hast  created  them :  Tabor  and 
Hermon  shall  rejoice  in  thy  name. 

13  Thou  hast  a  mighty  arm : 
strong  is  thy  hand,  and  high  is 
thy    right   hand. 

14  Justice  and  judgment  are  the 
habitation  of  thy  throne :  mercy 
and  truth  shall  go  before  thy  face. 

15  Blessed  is  the  people  that 
know  the  joyful  sound :  they  shall 
walk,  O  Lord,  in  the  light  of  thy 
countenance. 

16  In  thy  name  shall  they  re- 
joice all  the  day:  and  in  thy 
righteousness  shall  they  be  exalted. 

17  For  thou  art  the  glory  of 
their  strength:  and  in  thy  favour 
our  horn  shall  be  exalted. 

18  For  the  Lord  is  our  defence ; 
and  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  is 
our  King. 

19  Then  thou  spakest  in  vision 
to  thy  Holy  One,  and  saidst,  I 
have  laid  help  upon  one  that  is 
mighty ;  I  have  exalted  one  chosen 
out  of  the  people. 

20  I  have  found  David  my  ser- 
vant; with  my  holy  oil  have  I 
anointed  him : 

21  With  whom  my  hand  shall 
be  established :  mine  arm  also 
shall   strengthen   him. 

22  The  enemy  shall  not  exact 
upon  him ;  nor  the  son  of  wicked- 
ness afflict  him. 

23  And  I  will  beat  down  his 
foes  before  his  face,  and  plague 
them  that  hate  him. 

24  But  my  faithfulness  and  my 
mercy  shall  be  with  him :  and  in 
my  name  shall  his  horn  be  exalted. 

25  I  will  set  his  hand  also  in 
the  sea,  and  his  right  hand  in  the 
rivers. 

26  He  shall  cry  unto  me,  Thou 
art  my  Father,  my  God,  and  the 
Rock  of  my  salvation. 


12.  North    and    south— Thou   hast 

created  them ; 
Tabor  and  Hermon  rejoice  in 
Thy    name. 

13.  Thine   an   arm   of   might; 
Strong  Thine  hand,  high  Thy 

right  hand; 

14.  Justice   and   right  the   founda- 

tion of  Thy  throne; 
Love    and    truth    before    Thy 
face. 

15.  Happy   the    people    that   know 

the    trumpet-call. 
That  walk  in  the  light  of  Thy 
face,   O   Lord, 

16.  Rejoice  in  Thy  name  all  day. 
And     in     Thy     righteousness 

are    exalted. 

17.  For  the  beauty  of  our  strength 

art  Thou; 
And  in  Thy  favor  our  horn  is 
made  high ; 

18.  For   the    Lord   is    our   shield ; 
And  the   Holy   One  of   Israel 

our  king. 

19.  Thou  spakest  of  old  by  vision 

to  Thy  beloved  and  saidst : 
Help  have  I  laid  on  an  hero. 
Exalted   the  chosen   from   the 

people. 

20.  I  found  David,  My  servant, 
With  holy  oil  I  anointed  him; 

21.  Whom      Mine      hand      estab- 

lisheth ; 
Yea,    mine   arm    strengtheneth 
him. 

22.  An  enemy  shall  not  beguile  him, 
Nor    the    son    of    evil    afHict 

him ; 

23.  And  I  will  crush  his  foes  be- 

fore him. 
And   his   haters    I    will    smite. 

24.  And    my    truth    and    my    love 

are    with    him ; 
And  by  My  name  his  horn  is 
lifted   up; 

25.  And    I    will   put   his   hand    on 

the   sea, 
And    on    the    rivers    his    right 
hand. 

26.  He  shall  call  Me,  "My  father 

art    thou, 
My  God,  and  the  Rock  of  my 
salvation." 


354 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


27  Also  I  will  make  him  my 
firstborn,  higher  than  the  kings 
of   the   earth. 

2Z  My  mercy  will  I  keep  for  him 
for  evermore,  and  my  covenant 
shall  stand   fast  with  him, 

29  His  seed  also  will  I  make 
to  endure  for  ever,  and  his 
throne  as   the   days   of   heaven. 

30  If  his  children  forsake  my 
law,  and  walk  not  in  my  judg- 
ments ; 

31  If  they  break  my  statutes,  and 
keep   not   my  commandments; 

22  Then  will  I  visit  their  trans- 
gression with  the  rod,  and  their 
iniquity   with    stripes. 

2Z  Nevertheless  my  lovingkind- 
ness  will  I  not  utterly  take  from 
him,  nor  suffer  my  faithfulness  to 
fail. 

34  My  covenant  will  I  not 
break,  nor  alter  the  thing  that  is 
gone  out  of   my  lips. 

35  Once  have  I  sworn  by  my 
holiness  that  I  will  not  lie  unto 
David. 

26  His  seed  shall  endure  for 
ever,  and  his  throne  as  the  sun 
before  me. 

27  It  shall  be  established  for 
ever  as  the  moon,  and  as  a  faith- 
ful  witness   in  heaven.     Selah. 

38  But  thou  hast  cast  off  and 
abhorred,  thou  hast  been  wroth 
with  thine  anointed. 

39  Thou  hast  made  void  the 
covenant  of  thy  servant:  thou  hast 
profaned  his  crown  by  casting  it 
to   the  ground. 

40  Thou  hast  broken  down  all 
his  hedges;  thou  hast  brought  his 
strong   holds   to   ruin. 

41  All  that  pass  by  the  way  spoil 
him :  he  is  a  reproach  to  his  neigh- 
bours. 

42  Thou  hast  set  up  the  right 
hand  of  his  adversaries;  thou  hast 
made    all    his    enemies    to    rejoice. 


27.  And  I  will  make  him  first-born, 
Most    high    of    the    kings    of 

earth. 

28.  I    vvill   keep    My   love   toward 

him   forever; 
And     My     covenant     standeth 
sure  for  him; 

29.  And  his  seed  I  will  make  fast 

for  aye ; 
And  his  throne  like  the  days 
of  heaven. 

30.  If  his  sons  forsake  My  law, 
And    walk    not    in    My    judg- 
ments ; 

31.  If  My  statutes  they  profane. 
And   keep  not   My   command- 
ments ; 

32.  I  will  punish  with  a  rod  their 

trespass. 
And    with    stripes   their   guilt; 
22.    But  my  love  to  him  I  will  not 
annul. 
Nor   belie    My   truth. 

34.  My  covenant   I    will   not   pro- 

fane, 
Nor  alter  the  utterance  of  My 
lips. 

35.  Once  I  sware  by  My  holiness : 
I  will  not  be  false  unto  David. 

36.  His   seed   shall   be   forever, 
And    his    throne    like   the    sun 

before  Me ; 
27.     Like  the  moon  it  is  established 
ever, 
And  the  witness  in  the  sky  is 
sure.  Selah. 

38.  But  Thou  hast  cast  off  and  re- 

jected, 
Art  wroth  with  Thine  anointed ; 

39.  Hast    abhorred    Thy    servant's 

covenant, 
Profaned     to     the     earth     his 
crown. 

40.  Thou     hast     broken     all     his 

fences. 
Hast  made  his   strongholds   a 
ruin. 

41.  All  that  pass  by  have  plunder- 

ed him; 
He  is  become  a  reproach  to  his 
neighbors. 

42.  Thou    hast    exalted    the    right 

hand  of  his  foes. 
Hast   made   glad   all   his   ene- 
mies. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


355 


43  Thou  hast  also  turned  the 
edge  of  his  sword,  and  hast  not 
made    him   to    stand   in    the   battle. 

44  Thou  hast  made  his  glory  to 
cease,  and  cast  his  throne  down  to 
the   ground. 

45  The  days  of  his  youth  hast 
thou  shortened :  thou  hast  covered 
him   with   shame.     Selah. 

46  How  long.  Lord?  wilt  thou 
hide  thyself  for  ever?  shall  thy 
wrath  burn   like   fire? 

47  Remember  how  short  my  time 
is :  wherefore  hast  thou  made  all 
men  in  vain? 

48  What  man  is  he  that  liveth, 
and  shall  not  see  death?  shall  he 
deliver  his  soul  from  the  hand  of 
the  grave?     Selah. 

49  Lord,  where  are  thy  former 
lovingkindnesses,  zuhich  thou 
swarest   unto   David   in   thy   truth? 

50  Remember,  Lord,  the  re- 
proach of  thy  servants ;  how  I  do 
bear  in  my  bosom  the  reproach  of 
all  the  mighty  people ; 

51  Wherewith  thine  enemies 
have  reproached,  O  Lord;  where- 
with they  have  reproached  the 
footsteps  of  thine  anointed. 


Blessed    be    the    Lord    for    ever- 
more.    Amen,  and  Amen. 


43.  Yea,  Thou  turnest  the  edge  of 

his  sword. 
Nor  makest  him   stand  in  the 
battle. 

44.  Thou  hast  destroyed  his  scep- 

ter, 
And    cast    his    throne    to    the 
ground ; 

45.  Hast  shortened  the  days  of  his 

youth. 
Hast  enwrapped  him  in  shame. 

46.  How  long,  Lord! 
Hidest  Thou  forever? 

Shall  Thy  wrath  burn  like  fire? 

47.  Remember,   now,   the    span   of 

my  youth,  how  brief  it  is. 
For  vanity  Thou  hast  created 
man. 

48.  What    man    liveth    that    seeth 

not  death? 
That  saveth  himself   from  the 
hand  of  hell? 

Selah. 

49.  Where  is  Thy  former  love,  O 

Lord, 
Thou  didst  sware  to  David  by 
thy  truth? 

50.  Remember,  Lord,  the  reproach 

of  Thy  servants — 
I  have  borne  in  my  bosom  the 
reproach  of  many  peoples — 

51.  Wherewith  Thine  enemies   re- 

proached  the   Lord. 
Wherewith  they  reproached  the 
heels    of    Thine    anointed. 


Doxology 

Blessed     be    the     Lord     forever. 
Amen,   and   Amen. 


The  Covenant  of  David 

According  to  the  heading  this  Psalm  is  a  Psalm  of  Ethan,  like 
Heman  (88),  an  Ezrahite  (1  K,  5'\  1  Chr.  2 «,  2 «,  6"-", 
15"•^^  25  i«,  2  Chr.  5 '^  35").  The  Greek  renders  Ezrahite 
here  and  in  the  preceding  Psalm  Israelite,  i.  e.,  aboriginal, 
which  is  a  pretty  fair  rendering  of  the  sense  of  the  word. 
The  old  Psalm  of  Heman  is  contained  in  verses  5-18,  which 


356  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

manifestly  originated  in  northern  Galilee,  and  was  akin  to  the 
Psalms  of  the  Korahite  group.  To  this  praise  Psalm  was 
prefixed  a  brief  stanza  (1-4)  singing  the  love  and  truth  of  Yah- 
aweh  as  exhibited  in  the  Davidic  covenant,  by  which  Judah 
was  preserved  after  the  fall  of  Samaria.  This  was  devel- 
oped in  detail  in  a  longer  song  (19-37)  of  the  didactic  Hterary 
order,  so  popular  in  the  period  of  the  collection  and  study  of  the 
ancient  history  in  the  latter  days  of  the  Israelite  and  Judean 
monarchies,  added  to  the  ancient  Heman  hymn.  It  is  a  resume 
in  verse  of  2  Sam.  7.  To  this  were  added  further,  in  the  last  days 
of  the  Judean  monarchy,  when  the  state  was  tottering  to  its 
fall,  verses  38-51,  the  last  part  of  which  seems  to  have  been 
revised  at  a  late,  post-exilic  period.  The  words  rendered 
mercies  and  love,  and  faithfulness,  truth  and  troth,  which  occur 
so  frequently  through  verses  1-37,  are  the  two  divine  virtues 
and  attributes,  which  we  have  met  before,  but  never  so  em- 
phasized as  the  peculiar  attributes  of  Yahaweh  as  in  this 
Psalm.  One  is  reminded  of  Jno.  1,  where  the  manifestation 
of  those  attributes  in  Jesus  is  argued  as  the  evidence  of  His 
divinity. 

With  my  mouth  (1),  breaks  rhythm  and  probably  was  not 
in  original.  The  covenant  with  David  (3)  appears  not  only  in 
2  Sam.  7,  but  also  in  2  Sam.  23 »,  1  K.  8,  Jer.  33  ^  In  1  K. 
1134ff  ^g  obtain  what  may  be  called  an  Israelite  variant. 
Saints,  (5,  7),  or  sons  of  gods  (6),  are  the  heavenly  hosts,  who 
surround  God  and  obey  His  behests  (cf.  29  \  82  \  Job  5\  15 »). 
Contrast  with  this  the  spiritual  conception  in  8  of  love  and 
truth  as  surrounding  God,  which  belongs  to  the  second  stratum 
of  the  Psalm,  the  other  belonging  to  the  first.  Rahab  (10), 
as  in  87  *  and  Is.  30  ^,  may  refer  to  Egypt  overthrown  at  the 
Red  Sea  (9,  11),  rather  than  to  the  destruction  of  the  mythical 
monster  (cf.  Job  9^^).  Tabor  and  Herman  (12),  landmarks  of 
the  north  and  south,  indicate  an  origin  in  the  northeast  of  Galilee, 
since  only  there  are  they  such  landmarks.  Before  Thy  face 
(14),  literally  come  toward  Thy  face,  as  courtiers  or  servants 
of  God,  facing  toward  His  throne  (cf.  8).  Trumpet  call  (15), 
the  call  of  trumpets  and  shouting  at  the  moment  of  the  sac- 
rifice; light  of  Thy  face,  the  appearance  of  God  in  the  fire  of 
the  sacrifice.  The  following  verses  (16,  17)  contain  the  ritual 
picture  of  the  worshipping  people,  rising  to  sing  God's  praises. 
Shield  (18),  cf.  47  ^;  Holy  one,  cf.  71  ";  characteristic  of  the 
Israelite  hymns.    Verse  19^  is  a  prose  caption  of  the  succeeding 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  357 

poem,  19  ^-37,  which  relates  almost  in  the  words  of  2  Sam.  7  *'" 
Nathan's  vision  of  God's  covenant  with  David.  Anointed  (20), 
cf.  1  Sam.  16  ^^  Rivers  (25),  according  to  the  Hebrew  records 
David's  dominion  extended  from  the  Mediterranean  Sea  to 
the  River,  i.  e.,  the  Euphrates.  The  use  of  rivers  here  rather 
suggests  the  land  between  the  rivers  Euphrates  and  Tigris,  i,  e., 
Mesopotamia.  Verse  26  seems  to  combine  2  Sam.  7^*  and 
Ps.  18  ^.  First  born  (27)  and  Most  High,  used  of  Israel  in 
Ex.  4  22. 23^  Dt.  26  ^^  28  ^'  ^^  are  here  applied  to  David.  The 
designation  of  Israel  as  Most  High  was  to  place  it  in  the  same 
relation  to  other  nations  as  their  God  bore  to  the  gods  of  those 
nations,  an  identification  of  God  and  nation.  Here  the  nation 
becomes  David,  and  he  the  nation  (28-29),  cf.  18"^°,  1  K.  2  *. 
For  the  oath  by  My  holiness  (35),  cf.  Am.  4 ' ;  36  cf.  72" 
Witness  (37),  apparently  David's  star,  regarded  as  a  pillar 
of  testimony  or  witness  set  up  by  God  in  the  sky. 

Verses  38-39,  the  rejection  of  the  covenant,  are  full  of  re- 
minders of  Ps.  44,  74,  79,  and  80.  They  are  pre-exilic  in 
their  treatment  of  the  theme  of  Israel's  rejection,  not  even 
reaching  the  interpretation  set  forth  by  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel. 
Edge  (43),  meaning  uncertain.  Scepter  (44),  a  conjectural 
emendation  by  a  very  slight  change  of  an  untranslatable  Hebrew 
word.  For  the  How  long  (46)  cf.  44  =*,  79 «,  80*.  On  the 
basis  of  Ps.  39  '^  and  verse  45  I  have  corrected  the  untransla- 
table Hebrew  text  of  47  very  slightly.  For  48  cf .  49  »•  ^^  The 
concluding  sacrificial  section,  following  the  final  selah  (48), 
seems  to  have  been  lost,  and  for  it  there  has  been  substituted, 
in  a  late  Adonistic  recension,  an  exceeding  bitter  cry  to  the 
Lord  to  remember  His  promise.  For  verses  50,  51,  cf.  Ps.  7*. 
Heels  (51),  or  footprints,  indicating  pursuit  by  the  enemy  of 
the  defeated  and  cast  down  Judeans,  God's  annointed  or  messiah. 

The  closing  verse  of  this  Psalm  (51  *=)  is  the  doxology  of 
Book  III,  shorter  than  the  doxology  of  any  other  book  (cf. 
41",  72"'",  106"). 


Lecture  V.  The  New  Temple  and  Its  Liturgies — The  Prayer 
of  Moses — A  Liturgy  in  Ten  Parts — A  Song  Against  Plagues — 
A  Charm  Liturgy — The  Thank  Offering — A  Pilgrimage  Liturgy 
— Compassion — Creation — Exodus  and  Conquest — Rebellious 
Israel — Return  of  the  Pilgrims —  The  Great  Curse — The  Hallel — 
Two  Acrostics — The  Defy  Song — A  Great  Processional — A  Ros- 
ary of  the  Law. 

BOOK  IV 

From  this  point  onward,  with  one  exception,  which  will  be 
noted  in  its  place,  we  have  no  musical  notes.  Apparently  the 
Exile  brought  about  some  change,  and  while  those  notes  were 
retained  in  the  older  Psalms,  it  would  seem  that  their  meaning 
was  no  longer  known.  On  the  other  hand  we  have  more 
abundant  references  to  the  Temple  music  and  the  instruments 
used  for  the  same.  We  are  now  also  fully  in  the  period  of 
the  use  of  Yahaweh  as  the  divine  name,  which  began  indeed 
before  the  Exile  (cf.  Ps.  84-89),  and  from  this  point  on  that 
is  the  regular  title  for  the  Divinity,  together  with  the  ancient 
liturgical  Yah. 

The  Psalms  of  Books  IV  and  V  tend  to  appear  in  groups 
having  a  ritual  or  liturgical  connection,  either  composed  to- 
gether or  brought  together  for  a  special  liturgical  purpose,  as  in 
Babylonian  psalmody,  where  the  liturgies  must  commonly  con- 
sist of  ten  psalms.  The  first  group  of  this  sort  is  Ps.  90-99, 
designated  by  the  heading  Prayer  of  Moses,  the  man  of  God,  a 
title  taken  from  Dt.  ZZ,  and  justified  by  the  use  of  Moses'  name 
and  revelation  in  the  last  section  of  the  concluding  Psalm  of  the 
group,  99  ®'  '',  We  are  in  the  midst  of  the  back-to-Moses  move- 
ment, which  began  with  Deuteronomy  and  continued  in  and  after 
the  Exile,  reaching  its  climax  in  the  Law,  in  the  4th  Century.  Here 
we  are  still  in  the  Deuteronomic  period  of  that  development,  hence 
the  great  dependence  of  this  group  on  Deuteronomy,  including 
also  the  Deuteronomic  hymn,  Dt.  32.  In  outward  form  the  use 
of  ten,  so  characteristic  of  Hebrew  law  from  the  Decalogue 
onward  (cf.  also  the  Holiness  Code,  Lev.  17  fT),  is  followed, 
and  this  group  consists  of  ten  Psalms  divided  into  two  pentads. 
The  first  pentad,  90-94,  is  more  loosely  bound  together,  never- 

358 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  359 

theless  these  Psalms  do  constitute  a  whole,  connected  in 
thought  and  in  Hturgical  scheme.  Ps.  90  reviews  the  purpose  of 
God's  punishment,  closing  with  a  prayer  for  favor  and  the 
re-establishment  of  the  nation,  brought  to  new  life  by  the 
rebuilding  of  the  Temple.  Ps.  91 :  it  is  the  close  adherence 
to  the  religion  of  Yahaweh  in  the  Temple  which  shall  save  them 
against  all  powers  of  evil,  and  preserve  and  bring  to  long  life 
the  nation;  and  so  (92)  let  them  sing  thanks  and  praises  and 
serve  Yahaweh  in  His  Temple,  and  they  shall  prosper  and 
flourish,  for  He  is  their  Rock.  Then  follows  a  great  praise 
cry  to  Him  as  king  (93)  ;  and  the  prayer  for  vengeance  upon 
and  deliverance  from  the  idolaters,  and  assurance  of  the  down- 
fall of  the  latter  and  the  restitution  of  His  people   (94), 

It  is  not  clear  that  the  Psalms  of  this  pentad  were  composed 
together  and  for  the  liturgical  use  in  which  they  are  now  com- 
binded.  On  the  other  hand  the  Psalms  of  the  second  pentad 
(95-99)  are  united  by  continual  interrelation  of  phrases,  verses, 
and  refrains,  and  the  different  Psalms  are  joined  each  to  the 
other,  the  end  of  one  being  fitted  to  the  beginning  of  the  next. 
To  the  congregation,  summoned  for  worship,  is  given  the  warn- 
ing from  the  olden  faithlessness  and  its  punishments,  explaining 
the  Exile  but  proposing  a  new  opportunity  (95).  So  they 
sing  the  new  song  of  promise  and  faith,  and  welcome  Yahaweh, 
come  as  judge,  as  formerly  at  Horeb,  to  establish  the  new  world 
(96).  Then  follows  the  Yahaii^eh  reigncth  (97),  telling  of  the 
new  kingdom  and  its  meaning,  ending  with  the  summons  to  give 
thanks.  Thereupon  another  song  (98),  closing  like  the  preceding 
with  a  righteous  judgment  of  Yahaweh.  This  introduces  another 
Yahaweh  reigncth  (99),  a  great  sacrificial  praise  cry,  closing 
with  a  section  coupling  the  ending  of  the  liturgy  with  its  begin- 
ning; as  pointed  out  und"'"  Ps.  99. 

These  Psalms  belonged  to  a  time  when  there  was  no  king, 
and  when  Temple  not  kingdom  was  the  national  unit.  They 
do  not  come  from  a  period  of  battle  against  surrounding  enemies, 
and  impending  destruction,  but  of  hoped  for  renewal  after 
great  disaster,  in  danger,  however,  from  the  machinations  of 
uncongenial  heathen  neighbors.  It  is  necessary  for  God's  peo- 
ple to  adhere  closely  to  Him  and  to  His  Temple.  They  re- 
mind one  of  the  movement  in  religious  and  national  revival 
exhibited  in  Haggai  and  Zachariah,  and  connected  with  the 
restoration  of  the  Temple.  They  are  closely  allied  to  the  earlier 
portion  of  Deutero-Isaiah,  not  as  dependent  on  that,  but  as  part  of 


360 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


the  same  movement.  We  may  safely,  I  think,  date  them  in  the 
earlier  days  of  the  restoration,  not  long  after  the  rebuilding 
of  the  Temple,  ca.  500  b.  c. 


XC 

A   Prayer  of  Moses  the  man  of  God. 


LORD,     thou     hast     been     our 
dwellingplace     in     all     genera- 
tions. 

2  Before  the  mountains  were 
brought  forth,  or  ever  thou  hadst 
formed  the  earth  and  the  world, 
even  from  everlasting  to  everlast- 
ing, thou  art  God. 

3  Thou  turnest  man  to  destruc- 
tion; and  sayest.  Return,  ye  chil- 
dren of  men. 

4  For  a  thousand  years  in  thy 
sight  are  but  as  yesterday  when  it 
is  past,  and  as  a  watch  in  the  night. 

5  Thou  earnest  them  away  as 
with  a  flood ;  they  are  as  a  sleep : 
in  the  morning  they  are  like  grass 
which  groweth  up. 

6  In  the  morning  it  flourisheth, 
and  groweth  up ;  in  the  evening  it 
is  cut  down,  and  withereth. 

7  For  we  are  consumed  by  thine 
anger,  and  by  thy  wrath  are  we 
troubled. 

8  Thou  hast  set  our  iniquities 
before  thee,  our  secret  sins  in  the 
light  of  thy  countenance. 

9  For  all  our  days  are  passed 
away  in  thy  wrath :  we  spend  our 
years  as  a  tale  that  is  told. 

10  The  days  of  our  years  are 
threescore  years  and  ten ;  and  if 
by  reason  of  strength  they  be  four- 
score years,  yet  is  their  strength  la- 
bour and  sorrow ;  for  it  is  soon 
cut  off,  and  we  fly  away. 

11  Who  knoweth  the  power  of 
thine  anger?  even  according  to  thy 
fear,  so  is  thy  wrath. 


1.  Lord,     Thou    hast    been     our 

dwelling  from  age  to  age. 

2.  Before    the     mountains     were 

brought  forth. 

And  the  earth  and  the  world 
were  in  travail, 

From  everlasting  to  everlast- 
ing, Thou  art  God. 

3.  Thou  turnest  man  to  contrition, 
And  sayest,  Turn,  ye  children 

of  men. 

4.  For    a  thousand  years  in  Thy 

sight 
Are    like    yesterday    when    it 

passeth, 
Or  a  watch  in  the  night. 

5.  Thou  hast  flooded  them ;  they 

became  a  waste. 
In  the  morning  it  is   resumed 
like   grass ; 

6.  In  the   morning  it  blossometh 

and   is  renewed, 
At  evening  it  is  withered  and 
dried  up. 

7.  So  we  were  consumed  in  Thy 

wrath. 
And  Hi  Thine  anger       perished. 

8.  Thou   didst   set   our   misdeeds 

before  Thee, 
Our  secret  sins  in  the  light  of 
Thy  face. 

9.  For  all  our  days  looked  on  Thy 

wrath, 
We  brought  our  years   to  an 
end  like  a  sigh. 

10.  (The    day    of    our    years;    in 

them   are    seventy   years. 
Or  perchance  through  strength, 

eighty  years ; 
And    what    is    beyond   that   is 

labor   and   sorrow, 
For   it  is   quickly  passed,  and 

we  are  flown.) 

11.  Who    knoweth    the    power    of 

Thine  anger. 
Whose   wrath  is  according  to 
Thy  majesty? 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


361 


12  So  teach  us  to  number  our 
days,  that  we  may  apply  our  hearts 
unto  wisdom. 

13  Return,  O  Lord,  how  long? 
and  let  it  repent  thee  concerning 
thy  servants. 

14  O  satisfy  us  early  with  thy 
mercy;  that  we  may  rejoice  and  be 
glad  all  our  days. 

15  Make  us  glad  according  to 
the  days  zvhcrcin  thou  hast  afflicted 
us,  and  the  years  wherein  we  have 
seen  evil. 

16  Let  thy  work  appear  unto  thy 
servants,  and  thy  glory  unto  their 
children. 

17  And  let  the  beauty  of  the 
Lord  our  God  be  upon  us :  and  es- 
tablish thou  the  work  of  our  hands 
upon  us  ;  yea,  the  work  of  our  hands 
establish  thou  it. 


12.  So    teach    us    to    number    our 

days. 
That   we   get   us   an   heart   of 
wisdom. 

13.  Turn,  Lord! — How  long? — 
And  repent  Thee  of  Thy  ser- 
vants. 

14.  Satisfy   us   in    the   morn   with 

Thy  love, 
That  we  may   rejoice  and  be 
glad  all  our  days. 

15.  Give  us  joy  for  the  days  Thou 

hast    afflicted    us, 
The  years   we   have   seen   ad- 
versity. 

16.  Let   Thy   work  be   showed    to 

Thy  servants. 
And  Thy  glory  on  their  chil- 
dren. 

17.  And   the   dehght   of  the   Lord 

our    God    be    upon    us ; 
And  establish  the  work  of  our 

hand   upon   us ; 
And  the  work  of  our  hands — 

establish  it. 


Lord,  Thou  Hast  Been  Our  Refuge 

This  is  so  beautiful  a  hymn  in  the  EngHsh,  and  more  espe- 
cially in  the  Prayer  Book  version,  that  it  seems  a  pity  to  spoil 
it  by  a  literal  translation.  It  is  a  Psalm  of  the  early  restoration 
period,  the  day  of  small  things,  when  a  chastened  few  were 
seeking  to  build  a  new  state  and  a  new  Church.  It  accepts  the 
Deuteronomic  religion  and  the  Jeremianic  view  that  the  Captiv- 
ity was  the  punishment  of  Israel's  guilt  to  turn  them  back  to 
God.  Like  Deutero-Isaiah  it  looks  for  a  recompense  in  good  days 
commensurate  with  the  suffering  Israel  has  undergone. 

For  the  title  Moses,  the  man  of  god  cf.  Dt.  33  ^.  Verse  1 
is  the  caption  or  title.  The  use  of  Adonai,  Lord,  suggests  that 
it  is  later  than  the  Psalm.  Perhaps  the  use  of  dwelling  for  the 
refuge  so  common  in  early  Psalms  is  significant  (cf.  71  ^,  Dt. 
Z?)^'',  Ez.  11  ^^).  Contrition  (3),  expressing  the  purpose  of 
God's  punishment  of  Israel.  His  work  of  building  a  nation  is 
not  the  work  of  a  day,  but  stretches  over  ages  (4).  Then  a 
figure  from  the  conditions  of  Palestinian  vegetation,  vividly 
described  (5,  6).  The  wild  winter  storm  with  its  bitter  cold 
wind  turns  all  nature  into  desolation,  a  waste  howling  wilder- 


362 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


ness;  but  let  the  morning  sun  shine,  and  at  once  all  nature  is 
clothed  with  green;  another  day  it  seems  to  blossom,  so  rapid 
are  the  changes;  then,  as  it  were  in  a  day,  the  rain  over,  it  is 
burned  up  by  the  sun  and  withers  away.  Flooded  (5)  ;  i,  e., 
beaten  them  down  with  a  deluge  of  rain  and  wind  (cf.  Job. 
27  20).  Waste,  Heb.  sleep,  or  year,  which  makes  no  sense.  The 
change  of  one  letter  (n  to  m)  gives  zvaste.  Palestinian  conditions 
force  such  thoughts  on  the  mind  (Jas.  1  ^^).  Then  follows  (7-9) 
the  application  of  the  figure  to  Israel's  history,  only  in  their  case 
the  withering  of  the  nation  was  the  punishment  for  its  sins. 
Our  years  (9)  has  been  glossed  in  10  in  prose  to  state  what  is 
the  normal  limit  of  life.  Verses  11,  12  may  also  be  of  the 
nature  of  a  pietistic  gloss  or  addition  ,  but  in  poetry,  not  prose. 
At  least  these  verses  seem  to  break  the  continuity  of  the  Psalm, 
cf.  however  39*,  Dt.  32^°.  Then  after  a  brief  How  long  (13), 
cf.  Dt.  32  ^^,  follows  a  beautiful  prayer,  perhaps  intended  for 
the  morning  sacrifice   (14). 

Verse  4  is  cited  in  Pet.  3  ^.     This  was  a  favorite  Psalm  of 
Charles  V.     It  is  a  burial  chant  in  the  Angelican  use. 


XCI 


HE  that  dwelleth  in  the  secret 
place  of  the  Most  High  shall 
abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Al- 
mighty. 

2  I  will  say  of  the  Lord,  He  is 
my  refuge  and  my  fortress :  my 
God ;  in  him  will  I  trust. 

3  Surely  he  shall  deliver  thee 
from  the  snare  of  the  fowler,  and 
from  the  noisome  pestilence. 

4  He  shall  cover  thee  with  his 
feathers ;  and  under  his  wings  shalt 
thou  trust :  his  truth  shall  be  thy 
shield  and  buckler. 

5  Thou  shalt  not  be  afraid  for  the 
terror  by  night ;  nor  for  the  arrow 
that  flieth  by  day; 

6  Nor  for  the  pestilence  that 
walketh  in  darkness ;  nor  for  the 
destruction  that  wasteth  at  noon- 
day. 


He  that  dwelleth  in  the  covert 

of  the  Highest, 
That  abideth  in  the  shadow  of 

the    Almighty. 

I  say  of  the  Lord  :  My  refuge 

and  my  fortress. 
My  God,  in  whom  I  trust. 

For,  He  saveth  thee  from  the 

trap 
That    snareth,    from    the    word 

of   destruction. 
With  His  pinions  He  covereth 

thee, 
And  under  His  wings  thou  art 

safe ; 
His  truth  is  shield  and  buckler. 
Fear    not    for    the    terror    by 

night, 
For   the   arrow   that   flieth   by 

day; 
For   the    plague    that    stalketh 

in  darkness, 
For  the  death  that  wasteth  at 

noonday. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


36.^ 


7  A  thousand  shall  fall  at  thy 
side,  and  ten  thousand  at  thy  right 
hand;  but  it  shall  not  come  nigh 
thee. 

8  Only  with  thine  eyes  shalt  thou 
behold  and  see  the  reward  of  the 
wicked. 

9  Because  thou  hast  made  the 
Lord,  ivhich  is  my  refuge,  even  the 
Most  High,  thy  habitation; 

10  There  shall  no  evil  befall  thee, 
neither  shall  any  plague  come  nigh 
thy  dwelling. 

11  For  he  shall  give  his  angels 
charge  over  thee,  to  keep  thee  in 
all  thy  ways. 

12  They  shall  bear  thee  up  in 
their  hands,  lest  thou  dash  thy  foot 
against  a  stone. 

13  Thou  shalt  tread  upon  the  lion 
and  adder:  the  young  lion  and  the 
dragon  shalt  thou  trample  under 
feet. 

14  Because  he  hath  set  his  love 
upon  me,  therefore  will  I  deliver 
him :  I  will  set  him  on  high,  because 
he  hath  known  my  name. 

15  He  shall  call  upon  me,  and  I 
will  answer  him :  I  zanll  be  with  him 
in  trouble;  I  will  deliver  him,  and 
honour  him. 

16  With  long  life  will  I  satisfy 
him,  and  shew  him  my  salvation. 


7.  Though  a  thousand  fall  beside 

thee. 
Ten     thousand    at    thy     right 

hand, 
Unto    thee    it    shall    not    come 

nigh. 

8.  Surely    with   thine   eyes    shalt 

thou  behold. 
And    see    the    reward    of    the 
wicked. 

9.  Because,   Thou,   Lord,   art   my 

refuge ; 
Thou   hast   made   the    Highest 
thy  dwelling, 

10.  There  shall  be  no  evil  let  come 

to  thee. 
Nor     stroke    come    nigh     thy 
dwelling. 

11.  For     He     giveth     His     angels 

charge  of  thee. 
To  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways. 

12.  On  their  hands  they  shall  bear 

thee. 
Lest  thou  dash  thy  foot  on  a 
stone. 

13.  On  viper  and  cobra  thou  shalt 

tread, 
Shalt    trample    the    lion    and 
dragon. 

14.  Because  he  set  his  love  on  Me 

I  will  save  him ; 
I    will    exalt    him    because    he 
knoweth   My  name. 

15.  He  calleth  Me,  and   I  answer 

him; 
I  am  with  him  in  trouble ; 
I   will   deliver   and   bring   him 

to  honor. 

16.  With    long    life   will    I    satisfy 

him. 
And   show  him   My  salvation. 


A  Song  Against  Plagues 

This  Psalm  was  termed  by  the  Rabbis  a  song  against  plagues, 
or  attacks  of  evil  spirits,  and  was  given  in  the  Targum,  or  in- 
terpretation, as  also  in  the  Midrash,  or  explanation,  a  demo- 
nistic  meaning.  It  was  in  fact  a  liturgy  against  disease  produced 
by  the  attacks  of  evil  spirits,  as  the  result  presumably  of  the 
magic  or  charms  of  enemies.  The  protection  against  these  was 
complete  trust  in  Yahaweh,  the  knowledge  and  recognition  of 


364  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

His  name  and  power,  exhibited  in  the  proper  utterance  of  this 
or  similar  Psalms  in  a  right  manner  and  with  due  rites.  In 
all  such  charm  liturgies  an  exhibition  of  a  knowledge  of  the 
name  of  power  is  important,  and  for  that  reason  often  many 
names  are  used  in  the  later  charm  literature.  This  liturgy  com- 
mences with  the  use  of  two  archaic  names,  Elyon  and  Shaddai 
(1),  followed  in  the  next  verse  by  the  two  more  usual  names 
Yahazvch  and  Elohim.  Again  in  9  we  have  Yahaweh  and  Elyon, 
and  in  14  emphasis  is  laid  on  knowledge  of  the  name  as  the 
cause  of  the  divine  love  and  deliverance.  Commencing  with  the 
naming  of  four  holy  names  of  the  Divinity,  and  the  assertion  of 
the  relation  to  and  trust  in  God  thus  named  (1,  2),  the  Psalmist 
proceeds  to  reveal  his  knowledge  of  the  source  of  the  disease 
in  the  charm  wrought  to  summon  the  demons  of  disease,  and  to 
invoke  and  engage  the  aid  of  God  by  a  confident  chanting  of 
His  power  and  will  to  deliver  (2-7),  closing  with  the  assurance 
(8)  that  the  charm  shall  be  reversed  and  the  evil  charmer  be 
himself  the  one  to  suffer.  The  two  following  stanzas  (9-13,  14- 
16)  expand  this,  and  give  as  the  cause  of  the  suppliant's  pro- 
tection against  all  evil  trust  in  and  love  of  the  true  God  and  His 
name.  In  general  principle  and  idea  it  is  the  same  as  some  of 
the  Babylonian  charm  liturgies  which  have  come  down  to  us, 
but  it  differs  from  these  in  its  monotheism  and  its  spirituality; 
in  making  the  knowledge  and  love  of  God  the  charm  to  overcome 
the  powers  of  evil.  The  similarity  and  difference  are  the  same 
as  between  the  cosmogony  and  mythology  of  the  two  peoples  as 
represented  in  the  Books  of  Genesis  and  the  old  Babylonian 
inscriptions.  We  have,  it  is  true,  at  a  later  date,  Jewish  charms 
and  incantations  quite  as  gross,  material  and  polytheistic  as  the 
similar  Babylonian  charms  and  incantations,  but  there  are  none 
of  those  elements  in  this  liturgy.  Indeed  so  spiritual  is  its  ex- 
pression that  the  modern  Christian  can  use  it  not  only  without 
offense,  but  with  fullest  sympathy  and  edification ;  and  unless 
attention  were  especially  called  to  it  he  would  probably  quite 
fail  to  perceive  its  original  use  and  intent. 

Trap  (6)  of  the  conjurer,  who  summons  the  spirits  of  disease 
by  his  word  of  destruction.  Wasteth  (6)  carries  in  it  quite  un- 
translatably  the  word  demon  or  evil  spirit,  the  cause  of  disease. 
Because  Thou  (9)  ;  understand  after  because,  Thou  hast  said,  as 
in  2.  Stroke  (10)  ;  disease  is  a  blow  or  stroke  from  the  spirit 
world,  which  God  will  not  let  come  nigh  him  who  uses  properly 
this  liturgy. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


365 


The  Psalmist,  in  order  to  make  his  charm  more  effective,  has 
used  not  only  the  archaic  names  of  the  Divinity,  but  also 
phrases  and  words  from  the  oldest  poems  and  Psalms, 
Gen.  49,  Num.  24,  Dt.  32,  Ps.  5,  17,  18,  27,  31,  34,  35,  36,  57, 
61,  63.    Verses  11,  12  are  quoted  in  Matt.  4»,  Luke  4"-  ". 


XCII 

A    Psalm    or    Song    for    the    sabbath    day. 


TT  is  a  good  thing  to  give  thanks 
unto    the     Lord,    and    to    sing 
praises    unto    thy    name,    O    Most 
High: 

2  To  shew  forth  thy  lovingkind- 
ness  in  the  morning,  and  thy  faith- 
fulness every  night, 

3  Upon  an  instrument  of  ten 
strings,  and  upon  the  psaltery ; 
upon  the  harp  with  a  solemn  sound. 

4  For  thou,  Lord,  hast  made  me 
glad  through  thy  work:  I  will 
triumph  in  the  works  of  thy  hands. 

5  O  Lord,  how  great  are  thy 
works  1  and  thy  thoughts  are  very 
deep. 

6  A  brutish  man  knoweth  not ; 
neither  doth  a  fool  understand  this. 

7  When  the  wicked  spring  as  the 
grass,  and  when  all  the  workers  of 
iniquity  do  flourish ;  it  is  that  they 
shall  be  destroyed  for  ever : 

8  But  thou,  Lord,  art  most  high 
for  evermore. 

9  For,  lo,  thine  enemies,  O  Lord, 
for,  lo,  thine  enemies  shall  perish; 
all  the  workers  of  iniquity  shall 
be  scattered. 

10  But  my  horn  shalt  thou  exalt 
like  the  horn  of  a  unicorn :  I  shall 
be  anointed  with  fresh  oil. 

11  Mine  eye  also  shall  see  my 
desire  on  mine  enemies,  and  mine 
ears  shall  hear  m,y  desire  of  the 
wicked  that  rise  up  against  me. 

12  The  righteous  shall  flourish 
like  the  palm  tree:  he  shall  grow 
like  a  cedar  in  Lebanon. 


1.  It  is  good  to  give  thanks  to  the 

Lord, 
And  to  sing  praises  unto  Thy 
name.  Most  Highest ; 

2.  To  declare  in  the  morning  Thy 

love. 
And  Thy  truth  each  night ; 

3.  Upon  the  ten  stringed  harp  ; 
With   melody  on   the   lyre. 

4.  For  Thou,  Lord,  hast  made  me 

glad  through  Thy  deeds ; 
In  the  works  of  Thy  hands  I 
rejoice. 

5.  How     great     Thy    works,     O 

Lord! 
Very    deep    Thy   thoughts ! 

6.  A  brutish  man  knoweth  not, 
And  a  fool  doth  not  perceive 

this: 

7.  When   the   ungodly   spring  up 

like  grass, 
And      all      idol      worshippers 

flourish, 
It  is  to  be  destroyed  for  ever. 

8.  And   Thou   art   on  high   ever- 

more, O  Lord! 

9.  For  lo.  Thine  enemies.  Lord, 
For    lo.    Thine    enemies    shall 

perish. 
All       idol       worshippers       be 
scattered. 

10.  Thou  dost  exalt  like  the  wild- 

ox  my  horn : 
I  am  mixed  with  fresh  oil. 

11.  And  mine  eye  beholdeth  them 

that  be  in  wait  for  me ; 
Mine  ears  hear  the  wicked  that 
rise  up  against  me. 

12.  The   righteous  flourisheth  like 

the  palm. 
Like  the  cedar  in  Lebanon  he 
is   exalted. 


366 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


13  Those  that  be  planted  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord  shall  flourish 
in  the  courts  of  our  God. 

14  They  shall  still  bring  forth 
fruit  in  old  age ;  they  shall  be  fat 
and  flourishing; 

15  To  shew  that  the  Lord  is  up- 
right :  he  is  my  rock,  and  there  is 
no  unrighteousness  in  him. 


13.  Planted    in    the   house    of    the 

Lord, 
In  the  courts  of  our  God  they 
shall  flourish, 

14.  Shall  still  bear  fruit  in  old  age, 
Full    of    sap    and    green    shall 

they  be ; 

15.  To  declare  that  the  Lord  is  up- 

right. 
My  Rock,  in  whom  is  no  evil. 


The  Sabbath  Psalm 

This  is  a  Temple  song,  full  of  references  to  Temple  courts, 
Temple  music  and  ritual.  It  emphasizes  (2),  like  the  two  pre- 
ceding, love  and  truth.  It  mentions  the  same  musical  instru- 
ments (3)  as  the  kindred  33  (cf.  also  144'').  It  shows  a 
familiarity  with  the  earlier  books  of  the  Psalter  (cf.  2  and 
15";  6  and  49^°;  7  and  37 «;  10  and  75  ^\  89  ^^  11 
and  54'^;  15  and  25^).  The  last  verse  suggests  more  particu- 
larly Dt.  32,  with  its  special  title  or  Rock  for  God(  verses  4,  18, 
30,  31,  37,  cf.  with  this  verse  also  Dt.  32*  and  Is.  44»).  In 
verses  7  and  9  we  have  the  reference  to  idol  worshippers  under 
the  term  familiar  in  the  Psalms  of  books  I  and  II,  and  the  early 
prophets.  Mixed  (10),  the  technical  term  used  of  the  sacri- 
ficial cakes  mixed  with  oil.  His  head  or  horn,  lifted  up  like  the 
mighty  wild  ox,  is  so  abundantly  annointed  with  oil  (cf .  23 ', 
45  '',  133  ^)  that  he  is  like  one  of  the  sacrificial  cakes.  The 
palm  (12),  an  exotic  tree  in  Jerusalem,  used  only  for  orna- 
ment. From  this  and  the  following  verse  it  would  appear  that 
palms  and  perhaps  also  cedars  were  set  out  for  adornment  in 
the  Temple  courts,  the  sort  of  adornment  which  the  German 
excavations  at  Ashur  prove  that  the  Assyrians  made  use  of 
much  earlier. 

This  Psalm,  as  shown  by  the  heading,  was  designated  for  the 
Sabbath  sacrifice.  The  first  four  verses  constitute  the  Bonum 
Est,  an  evening  chant  in  the  Anglican  use.  Verse  2  makes  the 
Psalm  appropriate  for  either  morning  or  evening. 


XCIII 


THE  Lord  reigneth,  he  is  clothed 
with  majesty;  the  Lord  is  clothed 
with  strength,  tvhcreivith  he  hath 
girded  himself :  the  world  also  is 
stablished,  that  it  cannot  be  moved. 


2  Thy    throne    is    established 
old :  thou  art  from  everlasting. 


of 


1. 


The  Lord  reigneth,  clothed  in 

majesty; 
Clothed  in   strength,  the  Lord 

hath  girded  himself. 
The   world    also    is    fixed    un- 

moveable ; 
Fixed  is  Thy  throne  of  old, 
From  everlasting  art  Thou. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


367 


3  The  floods  have  lifted  up,  O 
LoRDj  the  floods  have  lifted  up  their 
voice;  the  floods  lift  up  their  waves. 

4  The  Lord  on  high  is  mightier 
than  the  noise  of  many  waters,  yea, 
than  the  mighty  waves  of  the  sea. 

5  Thy  testimonies  are  very  sure : 
holiness  becometh  thine  house,  O 
Lord,  for  ever. 


3.  The    streams    have    lifted    up, 

Lord, 
The    streams    have    lifted    up 

their  voice. 
The  streams  lift  up  their  din. 

4.  Than  the  voice  of  many  waters, 
Mightier  than  ocean-breakers, 
Mighty  on  high  is  the  Lord. 

5.  Thy  testimonies  are  very  sure; 
Thine    house    beseemeth    holi- 
ness, 

O  Lord,  for  length  of  days. 


The  Friday  Psalm 

Froin  this  point  on  the  Psalms  of  this  group  are  very  closely 
related  together,  repeating  the  same  motives  and  phrases.  One 
is  particularly  struck  with  the  repetition  of  the  phrase  Yahaweh 
reigneth  (cf.  93\  96^°,  97 \  99 ^  cf.  also  Is.  52  0-  There 
is  now  no  earthly  king,  Yahaweh  is  king.  This  Psalm  is  a 
praise  song  of  His  majesty  and  the  beauty  of  His  Temple; 
but,  as  in  the  preceding  and  succeeding  Psalms  of  this  group, 
He  lives  on  high,  a  transcendent  God.  For  1'=  cf.  96^°;  for 
3  cf.  96^°,  98  ^'^  Din  (3),  literally  their  crushing;  the  din 
caused  by  the  rock  fragments  crashing  and  being  crushed  in 
the  wadis  (streams)  in  the  wild  winter  storms  of  Judea, 
which  turn  their  dry  beds  almost  in  an  instant  into  roaring 
torrents.  Ocean-breakers  (4)  ;  there  is  very  little  reference 
to  the  sea  in  the  earlier  literature,  the  real  touch  with  it  begins 
after  the  Exile.  For  5 '^  cf.  the  late  Psalm  19  ^  Holiness  (5), 
the  characteristic  word  of  the  Judean  ritual,  cf.  Is.  (especially 
Chapter  6),  and  the  Hohness  laws,  Lev.  17*.  After  the  Exile 
this  was  especially  emphasized  by  Deutero-Isaiah.  This  verse 
seems  to  refer  to  the  holiness  laws.  Yahaweh's  testimonies, 
i.  e.,  His  ritual,  are  to  make  a  man  holy,  and  it  is  that 
holiness  which  especially  belongs  to  the  Temple  of  Yahaweh, 
has  done  so  and  will  do  so  from  time  immemorial  to  time 
immemorial.  According  to  the  Greek,  and  to  the  Hebrew  tradi- 
tion, as  preserved  in  the  Talmud,  this  was  the  Friday  Psalm, 
when  the  earth  was  peopled  after  the  waters  had  been  brought 
into  subjection.  It  was  one  of  the  fighting  Psalms  of  the 
Covenanters  and  Cevenoles.  At  Lucknow  Quaker  Wallace  al- 
ternated verses  of  this  Psalm  with  musket  shots  and  bayonet 
thrusts. 


368 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


XCIV 


OLORD  God,  to  whom  venge- 
ance belongeth ;  O  God,  to 
whom  vengeance  belongeth,  shew 
thyself. 

2  Lift  up  thyself,  thou  Judge  of 
the  earth :  render  a  reward  to  the 
proud. 

3  LoRD^  how  long  shall  the  wicked, 
how  long  shall  the  wicked  triumph? 

4  Hozv  long  shall  they  utter  and 
speak  hard  things?  and  all  the 
workers  of  iniquity  boast  them- 
selves? 

5  They  break  in  pieces  thy  peo- 
ple, O  Lord,  and  afflict  thine  herit- 
age. 

6  They  slay  the  widow  and  the 
stranger,  and  murder  the  father- 
less. 

7  Yet  they  say.  The  Lord  shall 
not  see,  neither  shall  the  God  of 
Jacob  regard  it. 

8  Understand,  ye  brutish  among 
the  people :  and  ye  fools,  when  will 
ye  be  wise? 

9  He  that  planted  the  ear,  shall 
he  not  hear?  he  that  formed  the  eye, 
shall  he  not  see? 

10  He  that  chastiseth  the  heathen, 
shall  not  he  correct?  he  that 
teacheth  man  knowledge,  shall  not 
he  know? 

11  The  Lord  knoweth  the 
thoughts  of  man,  that  they  are 
vanity. 

12  Blessed  is  the  man  whom  thou 
chastenest,  O  Lord,  and  teachest  him 
out  of  thy  law ; 

13  That  thou  mayest  give  him 
rest  from  the  da3^s  of  adversity, 
until  the  pit  be  digged  for  the 
wicked. 

14  For  the  Lord  will  not  cast  off 
his  people,  neither  will  he  forsake 
his  inheritance. 

15  But  judgment  shall  return  unto 
righteousness :  and  all  the  upright 
in  heart  shall  follow  it. 


1.  God  of  vengeance.  Lord, 

God  of  vengeance,  shine  forth ! 

2.  Lift  up  Thyself,  judge  of  the 

earth. 
Reward  on  the  proud  his  de- 
serts 1 

3.  How    long    shall    the    wicked. 

Lord, 
How    long    shall    the    wicked 
triumph? 

4.  They    prate,    they    utter    arro- 

gance. 
They  boast  themselves,  all  idol 
worshippers. 

5.  They  crush  Thy  people.  Lord, 
And      Thine      heritage      they 

afflict ; 

6.  They     slay     the     widow     and 

stranger. 
And  murder  the  fatherless ; 

7.  And   say :    "Yah   seeth  not, 
Nor    doth    Jacob's    God    per- 
ceive." 

8.  Consider,  ye  brutes  of  the  peo- 

ple; 
Ye  fools,  when  will  ye  be  wise? 

9.  Doth  He  that  planted  the  ear 

not  hear? 
Or  He  that  formed  the  eye  not 
see? 

10.  Nor    He    that    chasteneth    na- 

tions punish? 
That  teacheth  man  knowledge. 

11.  (The       Lord       knoweth       the 

thoughts    of    man    that   they 
are  vanity.) 

12.  Happy  the   man  Thou  chaste- 

nest. Yah, 
Whom     Thou    teachest     from 
Thy  law, 

13.  To    give   him    rest   from    days 

of  ill, 
Till  the  pit  be  digged  for  the 
wicked. 

14.  For  the  Lord  will  not  cast  oflF 

His  people, 
And   His   inheritance   He  for- 
saketh   not. 

15.  For    justice    shall    bring    back 

righteousness. 
And  after  it  all  the  upright  of 
heart. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


369 


16  Who  will  rise  up  for  me 
against  the  evil  doers?  or  who  will 
stand  up  for  me  against  the  workers 
of  iniquity? 

17  Unless  the  Lord  had  been  my 
help,  my  soul  had  almost  dwelt 
in  silence. 

18  When  I  said,  My  foot  slippeth ; 
thy  mercy,  O  Lord,  held  me  up. 

19  In  the  multitude  of  my 
thoughts  within  me  thy  comforts 
delight  my  soul. 

20  Shall  the  throne  of  iniquity 
have  fellowship  with  thee,  which 
frameth  mischief  by  a  law? 

21  They  gather  themselves  to- 
gether against  the  soul  of  the 
righteous,  and  condemn  the  inno- 
cent blood. 

22  But  the  Lord  is  my  defence ; 
and  my  God  is  the  rock  of  my 
refuge. 

23  And  he  shall  bring  upon  them 
their  own  iniquity,  and  shall  cut 
them  off  in  their  own  wickedness; 
yea,  the  Lord  our  God  shall  cut 
them  off. 


16.  Who  riseth  up  for  me  against 

the  wicked? 
Who     taketh     stand     for    me 
against  idol  worshippers? 

17.  Had    not   the    Lord   been    my 

help, 
My    soul    had    soon    dwelt    in 
silence. 

18.  When    I   have   said :    My   foot 

slippeth ; 
Thy  love,  O  Lord,  holdeth  me 
up. 

19.  In  my  many  doubtings  within 
Thy  compassion  giveth  me  de- 
light. 

20.  Doth    hell's    throne    bind    thee 

with  charms, 
Devising  mischief  secretly ; 

21.  Who  make   magic  against  the 

righteous. 
And  wrongfully  shed  innocent 
blood? 

22.  The  Lord  becometh  my  tower, 
And  my  GoD  the  rock  of  my 

refuge ; 

23.  And    turneth    on    them    their 

idolatry, 
And   in  their   iniquity  blotteth 

them  out — 
Blotteth  them  out,  the  Lord  our 

GOD. 


A  Charm  Liturgy 

This  is  a  liturgy  against  the  charms  of  the  idol  worshippers. 
The  Jews  are  oppressed  and  feeble,  but  the  pious  comfort 
themselves  with  the  belief  that  God  cannot  cast  off  His  people, 
whom  He  chasteneth  because  He  loveth  them;  and  in  due  time 
His  judgments  shall  result  in  the  triumph  of  righteousness,  in 
which  His  people,  the  upright  of  heart,  shall  share.  Through 
all  troubles  God  has  upheld  them.  He  has  saved  them  from 
the  destruction  which  befell  other  nations;  and  now  over- 
coming the  power  of  the  idolaters,  who  by  their  charms 
bring  evil  on  God's  people.  He  will  finally  annihilate  them. 
Verses  1  and  2  are  the  appeal,  using  phrases  evidently  de- 
pending on  earlier  psalmody  (cf.  18  *^  80  \  50  2,  Dt.  33', 
Ps.  7®,  50®,  31  ^^).  In  verses  1,  23  we  have  the  repetition  of 
phrases  for  musical  effect  characteristic  of  this  group,  and  in 
general  of  the  Psalms  of  the  later  books.     3  is  the  how  long, 


370  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

after  which  follows  the  indictment  of  the  idol-worshipping 
heathen,  by  whom  God's  people  have  been  and  still  are  op- 
pressed (4-7).  The  phraseology  of  4  ^  reminds  of  31  ^^.  Yah, 
7,  12,  the  primitive  form  of  the  sacred  name  Yahaweh,  always 
used  ritually,  as  in  the  hallelu-yah,  comes  into  more  common 
use  in  the  Psalms  of  the  later  books.  God  of  Jacob  (7),  a 
favorite  title  in  the  Israelite  Psalms,  was  taken  over  with  those 
Psalms,  and  became  in  post-exilic  literature,  in  connection  with 
Yahaweh,  a  common  phrase.  It  will  be  remembered  that  both 
Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel  taught  that  Israel  would  be  redeemed 
with  Judah,  and  all  united  once  more  under  a  Davidic  king. 
This  hope  is  expressed  in  the  coupling  of  the  Judean  and 
Israelite  God  names.  The  indictment  of  the  heathen  for  their 
treatment  of  Israel  is  succeeded  by  an  indictment  (8-10)  of  the 
folly  of  their  idolatry  and  an  assertion  of  the  omniscience  and 
omnipotence  of  God,  which  remind  one  of  Deutero-Isaiah  (cf. 
for  instance  Chapter  44).  For  8  cf.  92^.  Verse  11  seems 
to  be  a  later  prose  gloss  on  verse  10.  The  following  passage 
gives  the  philosophy  of  the  pious,  by  which  God's  dealing  with 
His  own  people  in  allowing  such  treatment  by  the  heathen  is 
explained  (12-15),  based  on  such  scriptures  as  Dt.  8  ■*,  1  Sam. 
12  '^,  and  the  teaching  of  such  prophets  as  Jeremiah.  At  the 
end  of  this  stanza  the  Greek  has  a  selah,  which  would  be 
appropriate,  but  was  probably  not  in  the  original.  The  plea  for 
help  against  the  idol  worshippers  and  their  magic  (in  references 
to  which  also  Deutero-Isaiah  abounds)  looks  to  Yahaweh  as 
the  one  help  and  support.  This  He  has  been  in  the  past 
(16-19),  and  this  He  will  be  in  the  future,  ultimately  blotting 
them  out  altogether  (20-23).  Silence  (17),  here  a  title  for 
Sheol.  The  last  stanza  contains  the  usual  sacrificial  triumphant 
motive  (22),  and  the  curse  (23).  GivetJi  me  delight  (19),  the 
phraseology  of  this  verse  in  Hebrew  suggests  very  beautifully 
the  perplexed  and  harassed  child  comforted  by  the  fondling  of 
its  parent.  Hell's  throne  (20)  ;  the  Hebrew  word  translated 
Hell  is  not  here  Sheol,  but  a  word  with  the  sense  apparently 
of  gulf  or  destruction  (cf.  91^).  Bind  thee  tvith  charms 
designates  specifically  the  knot  tying  magic.  Magic  (21); 
what  specific  form  of  magic  this  word  means  we  do  not  know. 
Wrojigfiilly  shed,  literally  caused  the  innocent  to  be  wrongfully 
condemned  to  death.  Tower,  refuge  (22),  cf.  9^,  18",  59^; 
also  the  similar  use  of  titles  of  Yahaweh  in  the  earlier  charm 
liturgy  of  this  group  {9^^).    The  Lord  our  God  (23);  another 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


371 


coupling  of  the   divine  names   of   south  and   north,  made   fa- 
mihar  by  Deuteronomy. 

In  the  Greek  this   Psalm  is  designated   for  the  fourth  day, 
Wednesday;  and  apparently  this  was  also  the  Temple  use. 


XCV 


unto  the 
a    joyful 


OCOME,   let  us   sing 
Lord  :    let    us    make 
noise  to  the  Rock  of  our  salvation. 

2  Let  us  come  before  his  presence 
with  thanksgiving,  and  make  a  joy- 
ful noise  unto  him  with  psalms. 

3  For  the  Lord  is  a  great  God, 
and   a  great   King  above  all  gods. 

4  In  his  hand  are  the  deep  places 
of  the  earth :  the  strength  of  the 
hills  is  his  also. 

5  The  sea  is  his,  and  he  made  it : 
and  his  hands  formed  the  dry  land. 

6  O  come,  let  us  worship  and  bow 
down :  let  us  kneel  before  the  Lord 
our  maker. 

7  For  he  is  our  God ;  and  we  are 
the  people  of  his  pasture,  and  the 
sheep  of  his  hand.  To  day  if  ye 
will  hear  his  voice, 

8  Harden  not  your  heart,  as  in 
the  provocation,  and  as  in  the  day 
of  temptation  in  the  wilderness : 

9  When  your  fathers  tempted  me, 
proved  me,  and  saw  my  work. 

10  Forty  years  long  was  I  grieved 
with  this  generation,  and  said,  It  is 
a  people  that  do  err  in  their  heart, 
and  they  have  not  known  my  ways : 

11  Unto  whom  I  sware  in  my 
wrath  that  they  should  not  enter 
into  my  rest. 


3. 
4. 


10. 


11. 


Come,  let  us  shout  unto  the 
Lord; 

With  trumpet  blast  to  the  Rock 
of  our  salvation. 

Let  us  approach  His  face  with 
thanksgiving; 

With  psalms  make  glad  shout- 
ing to  Him. 

For  the  Lord  is  a  great  God  ; 

And  a  great  king  above  all 
gods; 

In  whose  hand  are  the  depths 
of     earth. 

And  the  peaks  of  the  moun- 
tains are  His ; 

Whose  is  the  sea,  and  He  made 
it; 

And  His  hands  formed  the 
dry  land. 

O  come,  let  us  bow  down  and 

fall  prostrate, 
And    kneel    before    the    Lord 

our  maker; 
For  He  is  our  God,  and  we — 
The  people  of  His  pasture,  and 

sheep  of  His  hand ; 
To-day  would  ye  but  hear  His 

voice : 

Harden  not   your  heart   as  at 

Strife, 
Like  the  day  of   Trial   in  the 

desert; 
When    your    fathers    tempted 

Me, 
Proved     Me,     yea,     saw     My 

works. 
Forty    years     I     loathed     that 

generation. 
And  said :  It  is  a  people  fickle 

of  heart, 
And  they  know  not  My  way; 
So  that  I  sware  in  My  wrath: 
They  shall  not  enter  into  My 

rest. 


372  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Venite 

This  is  of  the  nature  of  a  didactic  hymn,  like  some  of  the 
Asaph    Psalms.      It    commences    with    a    summons    to    praise 
(1,  2),  using  technical  ritual  terms  of  the  sacrifice.     With  trum- 
pet   blast     (1),    glad    shouting     (2),    represent    the    Hebrew 
words   for  the  great  call  to   God,  with  trumpet  and  voice,  to 
come  in  the  sacrificial  fire.      Thanksgiving    (2),   the  song   for 
the   Thank   offering.     Psalms,   a   word   used   in   the   old   song, 
2  Sam.  23  ^,  for  the  writers  of  this  group  tend  to  use  or  revive 
old  words.     For  verse  1  cf.  55  ^,  81  S  89  ^^.     Then   follows  a 
glorification  of  God  in  the  manner  characteristic  of  this  group 
for  His  might  shown  in  the  physical  universe,  and  also  for  His 
uniqueness  among  the  gods,  which  is  really  monotheism   (3-5). 
For  3  cf .  95  *,  97  *.     Then  the  summons  to  worship  is  resumed 
and   carried    forward    (6,   7),    describing  the   attitudes    of    the 
worshipper,  the  same  as  among  Moslems  today;  bowing  down, 
prostrate  with  face  to  ground,  kneeling  (cf.  2  Chr.   5  ^^,  Dan. 
5^°).     7  may  be  regarded  as  the  utterance  of  the  worshippers, 
a    favorite    picture    of    the    relation    of    Israel    to    God    (74^, 
100^).     To  the  worshippers  thus  praying,  and  protesting  their 
faithful   obeisance,    comes   the   summons    to   hear   God's   voice, 
and    follow    His    religion    (^03;)    in    fact,    reminding    them    of 
God's  punishment  of  their   forefathers   in  the  wilderness;  the 
implication  being  that  if  they  will  now  hear  His  voice  the  old 
promises   will   be   fulfilled   to  them,   but  if   not,   the   fulfilment 
will   be   withheld   as    of   yore,   and   they   like   their   wilderness 
forebears    shall    perish    with    hopes    unfulfilled     (8-11).      The 
utterance  is  borrowed  from  Scripture,  the  Scriptures  used  being 
the   same   as   in   78,   on   which   this   is   dependent,   JE   and   D 
(Ex.    17  ^   Num.    14".  28-30^  Dt.  6^',   12 «,  33»).     Strife    (8), 
Heb.  Meribah;  Trial,  Massah.     After  verse  3  the  Greek  inserts 
the  first  line  of   94". 

Verses  7-11  are  quoted  and  commented  on  at  length  in 
Heb.  3  ^-i^'  ",  4  5' '''  ".  This  Psalm  was  the  battle  hymn  of  the 
Knights  Templars.  As  the  Venite  it  is  the  morning  chant  of 
the  Western  Church. 

XCVI 

/^  SING   unto   the   Lord   a   new  1.     Sing  to  the  Lord  a  new  song, 

^~^  song :   sing  unto  the  LoRi),  all  Sing  to  the  Lord  all  the  earth, 

the  earth.  2.     Sing   to   the    Lord,   bless    His 

2  Sing  unto   the   Lord,   bless   his  name, 

name :     shew     forth    his     salvation  Tell  from  day  to  day  His  sal- 

from  day  to  day.  vation; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


373 


3  Declare  his  glory  among  the 
heathen,  his  wonders  among  all 
people. 

4  For  the  Lord  is  great,  and 
greatly  to  be  praised ;  he  is  to  be 
feared  above  all  gods. 

5  For  all  the  gods  of  the  nations 
are  idols :  but  the  Lord  made  the 
heavens. 

6  Honour  and  majesty  are  be- 
fore him :  strength  and  beauty  are 
in  his   sanctuary. 

7  Give  unto  the  Lord,  O  ye 
kindreds  of  the  people,  give  unto 
the  Lord  glory  and  strength. 

8  Give  unto  the  Lord  the  glory 
due  unto  his  name :  bring  an  offer- 
ing, and  come  into  his  courts. 

9  O  worship  the  Lord  in  the 
beauty  of  holiness  :  fear  before  him, 
all  the  earth. 

10  Say  among  the  heathen  that 
the  Lord  reigneth :  the  world  also 
shall  be  established  that  it  shall 
not  be  moved:  he  shall  judge  the 
people   righteously. 

11  Let  the  heavens  rejoice,  and 
let  the  earth  be  glad;  let  the  sea 
roar,  and  the  fulness  thereof. 

12  Let  the  field  be  joyful,  and 
all  that  is  therein:  then  shall  all 
the  trees  of  the  wood  rejoice 

13  Before  the  Lord:  for  he 
cometh,  for  he  cometh  to  judge 
the  earth:  he  shall  judge  the 
world  with  righteousness,  and  the 
people   with  his   truth. 


3.  Recount    among    the    nations 

His  glory. 
Among    all    the    peoples    His 
wonders. 

4.  For    great    is    the    Lord,    and 

much  to  be  praised. 
Fearful  is  He  above  all  gods. 

5.  For   all    the   gods    of    the    na- 

tions are  not-gods. 
But  the  Lord  made  the  heavens. 

6.  Praise   and   honor  are   before 

Him, 
Strength    and    beauty    in    His 
shrine. 

7.  Ascribe  to  the  Lord,  ye  tribes 

of  the  nations. 
Ascribe  to  the  Lord  glory  and 
strength, 

8.  Ascribe  to  the  Lord  the  honor 

of  His  name; 
Bring  oblation,  and  enter  His 
courts. 

9.  Worship    the     Lord     in    holy 

array ; 

Quaice    before   Him   all   the 

earth. 

10.  Tell    among    the    nations,    the 

Lord  is  king, 
(The  world  is  made  fast  that 

it   shaketh   not) 
He    judgeth    the    peoples    in 

equity. 

11.  Let  heaven   rejoice,  and  earth 

exult, 
The  sea  and  its  fulness  roar; 

12.  Let  the  field  make  merry  and 

all  therein. 
All  trees  of  the  forest   shout 
for  joy — 

13.  Before    the    Lord,    for    He   is 

come, 

For  He  is  come  to  judge  the 
earth. 

He  judgeth  the  world  in  right- 
eousness, 

And  the  peoples  in  His  truth. 


New  Song 

In  the  Greek  there  is  the  heading :  when  the  Temple  is  built 
after  the  Captivity.  An  ode  to  David;  which  is  apparently 
suggested  by  1   Chr.  15,  where  this  Psahn  constitutes  part  of 


374 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


the  Psalm  (vv.  23-33)  sung  by  Asaph  and  his  brethren  when 
David  brought  in  the  Ark  and  set  it  in  the  Tent.  New  song 
(1),  cf.  Is.  42^°,  Ps.  33\  40  ^  Tell  (2),  the  word  used  in 
Is.  40 ",  41  ^\  52  ^  for  the  publication  of  glad  tidings.  4  depends 
on  48  and  89 ''.  Not-gods  (5),  or  things  of  nought,  a  phrase 
coined  apparently  by  Isaiah  to  designate  idols.  From  its  use 
here  it  is  clear  that  the  references  to  other  gods  in  this  group 
of  Psalms  do  not  connote  polytheism.  Made  the  heavens, 
cf.  Is.  42  ^  7-9  almost  word  for  word  from  29.  The  text 
of  10  after  the  first  line  is  uncertain.  Compare  the  trans- 
cription in  1  Chr.  16  (cf.  also  93  \  98  ^  9«).  Some 
of  the  Latin  fathers  have  as  part  of  this  verse:  The  Lord 
hath  reigned  from  the  tree;  which  Justin  Martyr  charges  the 
Jews  with  erasing  from  the  text.  The  line  bracketed  was  ap- 
parently inserted  from  93  \  lines  1  and  3  constituting  the 
original  verse.  Verse  11  meets  us  again  in  98^  and  97^;  and 
the  refrain  (13)  is  also  the  refrain  of  the  companion  neiv 
song,  98. 

In  the  use  of  the  American  Episcopal  Church  the  Venite 
has  been  modified  by  substituting  for  verses  7**-ll  of  95, 
verses  9-13  of  96. 


XCVII 


THE  Lord  reigneth ;  let  the  earth 
rejoice;  let  the  rnultitude  of  isles 
be  glad  thereof. 

2  Clouds  and  darkness  are  round 
about  him :  righteousness  and  judg- 
ment are  the  habitation  of  his 
throne. 

3  A  fire  goeth  before  him,  and 
burneth  up  his  enemies  round 
about. 

4  His  lightnings  enlightened  the 
world :  the  earth  saw,  and  trembled 

5  The  hills  melted  like  wax  at 
the  presence  of  the  Lord,  at  the 
presence  of  the  Lord  of  the  whole 
earth. 

6  The  heavens  declare  his  right- 
eousness, and  all  the  people  see 
his  glory. 

7  Confounded  be  all  they  that 
serve  graven  images,  that  boast 
themselves  of  idols :  worship  him, 
all  ye  gods. 


1. 


2. 


The  Lord  reigneth,  let  the  earth 

exult. 
Let  many  coasts  be  glad  ; 
Clouds     and     darkness     round 

about  Him, 
Righteousness   and   justice   the 

foundation    of    His    throne; 
Fire    goeth    before    Him. 
And     setteth     a     blaze     round 

about  His  foes : 
His   lightnings   have    lightened 

the  world. 
The  earth  saw  and  trembled ; 
Mountains  melted  like  wax  be- 
fore the  Lord, 
Before    the    Lord    of    all    the 

earth ; 
The     heavens      declared      His 

righteousness, 
And   all   the   peoples   saw   His 

glory. 


7.     Be    ashamed    all    servants    of 
images. 
Ye     that     boast     in     not-gods, 
Worship    Him     all    ye    gods. 


6. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


375 


8  Zion  heard,  and  was  glad ;  and 
the  daughters  of  Judah  rejoiced 
because  of  thy  judgments,  O  Lord. 

9  For  thou.  Lord,  art  high  above 
all  the  earth :  thou  art  exalted  far 
above  all  gods. 

10  Ye  that  love  the  Lord,  hate 
evil :  he  preserveth  the  souls  of  his 
saints ;  he  delivereth  them  out  of 
the  hand  of  the  wicked. 

11  Light  is  sown  for  the  right- 
eous, and  gladness  for  the  upright 
in  heart. 

12  Rejoice  in  the  Lord,  ye  right- 
eous ;  and  give  thanks  at  the  re- 
membrance of  his  holiness. 


8.  Zion  heard   and  was  glad, 
And    the    daughters    of   Judah 

exulted. 
Because     of     Thy    judgments. 
Lord; 

9.  For    Tou,    Lord,    art    Highest 

over  all  the  earth. 
Greatly  exalted  over  all  gods. 

10.  Lovers  of  the  Lord  hate  evil. 
Guarding     the     lives     of     His 

saints, 
From  the  hand  of  the  wicked 
He  rescueth  them. 

11.  Light  is  risen  for  the  righteous, 
And  gladness   for  the   upright 

of  heart. 

12.  Be  glad,   ye    righteous,   in   the 

Lord, 
And      offer      thanks      for      a 
memorial  of  His  hoHness. 


The  Lord  Is  King 

In  the  Greek  this  Psalm  is  headed:  To  David  when  his  land 
zvas  restored;  that  is,  a  Davidic  song  when  the  land  was 
restored  after  the  Captivity.  Like  93  and  99  it  commences, 
The  Lord  is  King.  He  is  represented  enthroned  in  the  thun- 
derstorm, as  at  Horeb,  judging  all  the  earth  (1-6).  The 
heathen  image  worshippers  are  condemned  and  Judah  triumphs 
in  the  judgment  of  the  Lord,  most  high  over  divine  as  over 
human  afifairs  (7-9).  They  that  love  the  Lord  and  hate  evil 
are  consoled  by  the  assurance  of  preservation  and  deliverance, 
and  that  a  new  era  has  begun,  for  which  let  them  offer  thank 
offerings  (10-12).  Numerous  phrases  of  the  other  Psalms 
of  the  group  are  met  in  this  Psalm.  It  uses  or  quotes  also : 
2,  89  ";  8,  48  ";  9.  47  -";  12,  32  '\  30  \  Further,  verse  1 
is  reminiscent  of  Ez.  27  ^' '' ;  2,  of  Dt.  4  ",  5  ^^  3,  of  50  ^  4,  of 
77^^;  6,  of  50 «;  and  7,  of  Is.  42  ^\  44  «•  'K  Risen  (11),  by 
change  of  one  letter  in  the  Hebrew,  following  the  Greek.  Verse 
7  °  appears  to  be  used  in  Heb.  1  *',  and  verse  10  in  Rom.   12  ®. 


XCVIII 


OSING  unto  the  Lord  a  new 
song;  for  he  hath  done  marvel- 
lous things :  his  right  hand,  and  his 
holy  arm,  hath  gotten  him  the  vic- 
tory. 


1.  Sing  to  the  Lord  a  new  song, 
For  He  hath  wrought  wonders. 
His    right    hand    hath    gotten 

Him  victory, 
And  His  holy  arm. 


376 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


2  The  Lord  hath  made  known  his 
salvation :  his  righteousness  hath 
he  openly  shewed  in  the  sight  of 
the  heathen. 

3  He  hath  remembered  his  mercy 
and  his  truth  toward  the  house  of 
Israel :  all  the  ends  of  the  earth 
have  seen  the  salvation  of  our  God. 

4  Make  a  joyful  noise  unto  the 
Lord,  all  the  earth :  make  a  loud 
noise,  and  rejoice,  and  sing  praise. 

5  Sing  unto  the  Lord  with  the 
harp ;  with  the  harp,  and  the  voice 
of  a  psalm. 

6  With  trumpets  and  sound  of 
cornet  make  a  joyful  noise  before 
the  Lord,  the  King. 

7  Let  the  sea  roar,  and  the  ful- 
ness thereof ;  the  world,  and  they 
that  dwell  therein. 

8  Let  the  floods  clap  their  hands : 
let    the    hills    be    joyful    together 

9  Before  the  Lord  ;  for  he  cometh 
to  judge  the  earth:  with  righteous- 
ness shall  he  judge  the  world,  and 
the  people  with  equity. 


2.  The   Lord    hath    declared    His 

salvation, 
Hath   showed   in   the  sight  of 
the    nations    His    righteous- 
ness, 

3.  Hath  remembered  His  love  to 

Jacob, 
And     His     truth     toward    the 

house  of  Israel ; 
All    ends    of    the    earth    have 

seen  the  salvation  of  our  God. 

4.  Shout  to  the  Lord,  thou  whole 

earth ! 
Break  forth,  and  cry,  and  sing; 

5.  Sing    to    the    Lord    with    the 

harp — 
With    the   harp   and    sound   of 
song. 

6.  With   trumpets    and    sound   of 

the  horn. 
Shout    before    the    Lord,    the 
King. 

7.  Let  the  sea  roar,  and  its  ful- 

ness, 
The  land  and  its  dwellers; 

8.  Let  rivers  clap  the  hand. 
Let  mountains  cry,  also, 

9.  Before  the  Lord, 

For  He  is  come  to  judge  the 
earth. 

He  judgeth  the  world  in  right- 
eousness, 

And  the  peoples  in  equity. 


Cantate 

A  second  new  song,  full  of  phrases  of  the  previous  songs, 
with  the  references  to  ritual  music  and  acts  characteristic  of 
this  group,  and  the  participation  of  nature  in  the  joy  charac- 
teristic of  this  group  and  of  Deutero-Isaiah  (cf.  Is.  44  2^,  55"). 
Victory  (1)  and  salvation  (2,  3),  the  same  word.  The  deliverance 
of  Israel  from  captivity  partakes  of  both.  Jacob  (2),  so  in 
the  Greek.  Cf.  for  this  verse  89  S  Is.  52^°.  Shout  (4,  6), 
this  is  the  sacrificial  joy  cry,  accompanied  with  trumpets  and 
horns  (cf.  Num.  10 1°,  2  Chron.  15").  Clap  the  hand  (8), 
a  most  common  accompaniment  to  such  singing  today.  9  is, 
with  slight  and  characteristic  changes,  the  same  refrain  as 
that  of  the  other  new  song  (96^^). 

As  the  Cantate  this  Psalm  is  an  evening  hymn  in  Anglican 
use. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


zn 


XCIX 


THE  Lord  reigneth ;  let  the  people 
tremble :  he  sitteth  between  the 
cherubim ;  let  the  earth  be  moved. 

2  The  Lord  is  great  in  Zion ;  and 
he  is  high  above  all  the  people. 

3  Let  them  praise  thy  great  and 
terrible  name ;  for  it  is  holy. 

4  The  king's  strength  also  loveth 
judgment ;  thou  dost  establish 
equity,  thou  executest  judgment  and 
righteousness  in  Jacob. 

5.  Exalt  the  Lord  our  God,  and 
worship  at  his  footstool ;  for  he  is 
holy. 

6  Moses  and  Aaron  among  his 
priests,  and  Samuel  among  them 
that  call  upon  his  name;  they  called 
upon  the  Lord,  and  he  answered 
them. 

7  He  spake  unto  them  in  the 
cloudy  pillar :  they  kept  his  testi- 
monies, and  the  ordinance  that  he 
gave  them. 

8  Thou  answeredst  them,  O  Lord 
our  God :  thou  wast  a  God  that 
forgavest  them,  though  thou  tookest 
vengeance   of  their  inventions. 

9  Exalt  the  Lord  our  God,  and 
worship  at  his  holy  hill ;  for  the 
Lord  our  God  is  holy. 


2. 

3. 


The  Lord  reigneth,  let  peoples 
tremble ; 

He  inhabileth  the  cherubim,  let 
the  earth  shake. 

The  Lord  is  great  in  Zion, 

And  exalted  over  all  the  peo- 
ples. 

Let  them  give  thanks  to  Thy 
name,   great   and   terrible — 

Holy  is  He. 

And  the  king's  might  loveth 
justice. 

Thou  hast  established  equity 
(in  Israel), 

Justice  and  righteousness  Thou 
hast  wrought  in  Jacob. 

Exalt  the  Lord  our  God, 

And  bow  down  at  His  foot- 
stool ; 

Holy  is  He. 

Moses  and  Aaron  among  His 

priests. 
And  Samuel  among  them  that 

call  His  name. 
Calling  unto  the  Lord  and  He 

answereth  them  ; 
In     a     pillar     of     smoke     He 

speaketh  unto  them. 
They  kept  His  testimonies  and 

the  statute  He  gave  them. 
O    Lord,    our    God,   Thou   an- 

sweredest    them, 
A    forgiving    God   wast   Thou 

unto  them. 
But     vengeful     against     their 

follies. 

Exalt  the  Lord,  our  God. 
And    bow    down    at    His    holy 

mountain  ; 
For  Holy  is  the  Lord  our  God. 


Holy  Is  He 

The  third  hymn,  commencing  The  Lord  reigneth  (cf.  93  ^ 
97^).  Contrast  the  picture  of  the  first  verse  with  the  first  verse 
of  97.  Cherubim  (1),  cf.  80  \  Holy  (3),  the  special  Jeru- 
salem title  (cf.  Is.  6)  of  God,  which  has  come  down  to  Chris- 
tians in  the  Lord's  prayer,  Hallowed  be  Thy  name.  King's 
might  (4),  as  elsewhere  King's  majesty,  etc.,  for  king,  express- 


378 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


ing  the  particular  attribute  of  royalty  in  mind.  Israel  (4),  we 
should  expect  here  to  fill  the  measure  either  Israel,  as  in  the 
previous  Psalm,  or  Judah,  as  in  Jeremiah,  where  Judah  and 
Jacob  are  combined  to  designate  the  entire  people.  Cf.  for 
thought  also  11  ^  33  \  Bow  down  (5,  9),  or  worship;  the 
footstool  of  the  one  is  the  holy  mountain  of  the  other,  for 
Yahaweh  lives  in  the  height.  In  the  closing  stanza  (6,  8)  this 
liturgy  is  brought  back  to  its  beginning  in  95,  with  the  recall 
to  ancient  history  and  its  lesson.  There  we  heard  the  story 
of  God's  punishment  of  Israel's  hardness  of  heart;  now  we 
are  told  how  He  listened  to  His  priests  when  they  called  upon 
Him,  vengeful  against  misdeeds,  but  ever  ready  to  forgive 
when  supplicated;  and  all  are  bidden  to  praise  and 
bow  down  in  the  Temple,  as  the  closing  act  of  the  liturgy, 
apparently  a  lengthy  processional.  Moses  and  Samuel  (6), 
cf.  Jer.  15^;  Samuel's  calling,  1  Sam.  7^  \2^^;  forgiveness 
and  vengeance  (8),  cf.  Ex.  33°,  Num.  \2\ 


A  Psalm  of  praise  for  the  Thank  Offering. 


MAKE  a  joyful  noise   unto  the 
Lord,  all  ye  lands. 

2  Serve  the  Lord  with  gladness : 
come  before  his  presence  with  sing- 
ing. 

3  Know  ye  that  the  Lord  he  is 
God :  it  is  he  that  hath  made  us,  and 
not  we  ourselves ;  ivc  are  his  peo- 
ple, and  the  sheep  of  his  pasture. 

4  Enter  into  his  gates  with 
thanksgiving,  ayid  into  his  courts 
with  praise :  be  thankful  unto  him, 
and  bless  his  name. 

5  For  the  Lord  is  good ;  his  mercy 
is  everlasting ;  and  his  truth 
endureth  to  all  generations. 


1.  Shout  to  the  Lord,  all  earth. 

2.  Serve  the  Lord  with  gladness, 
Come  before  Him  with  a  song. 

3.  Know    that    the    Lord,    He    is 

God; 
He  hath  made  us,  His  we  are, 
His   people  and   sheep  of    His 

pasture. 

4.  Come     into     His     gates     with 

thanksgiving. 
His  courts  with   praise, 
Give  thanks  to  Him,  bless  His 

name; 

5.  For  the  Lord  is  good,  everlast- 

ing His  love, 
And    His   truth    for   ever   and 
aye. 


For  the  Thank  Offering 

This  is,  as  its  heading  states,  a  Psalm  for  the  thank  offer- 
ing. It  resembles  the  Psalms  of  the  preceding  group,  and 
apparently  represents  the  same  influences.  The  caption  (1) 
is  a  summons  to  all  the  world  to  lift  the  sacrificial  praise 
shout     (cf.    95*-«).      The    following    verses     (2,    3)     reflect 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


379 


Dt.  12  *^  4  ",  together  with  Ps.  74 1'  ^  95  ^^  ^  For  4  cf .  95  », 
96  ^  Verse  5  was  the  ancient  technical  thank  offering  cry 
(Jer.  33^^),  uttered  when  the  fire  appeared  (2  Chr.  5 '^  7"; 
cf.  also  Ezr.  3  ^S  1  Mac.  4-^). 

As    the   Jubilate    this    is    a    morning    chant    of    the   Western 

Church. 

CI 

A  Psalm  of  David. 


I    WILL  sing  of  mercy  and  judg- 
ment:  unto  thee,   O   Lord,   will 
I  sing. 

2  I  will  behave  myself  wisely  in 
a  perfect  way.  O  when  wilt  thou 
come  unto  me?  I  will  walk  within 
my  house  with  a  perfect  heart. 

3  I  will  set  no  wicked  thing  be- 
fore mine  eyes :  I  hate  the  work  of 
them  that  turn  aside;  it  shall  not 
cleave  to  me. 

4  A  froward  heart  shall  depart 
from  me :  I  will  not  know  a  wicked 
person. 

5  Whoso  privily  slandereth  his 
neighbour,  him  will  I  cut  off :  him 
that  hath  a  high  look  and  a  proud 
heart  will  not  I  suffer. 

6  Mine  eyes  shall  be  upon  the 
faithful  of  the  land,  that  they  may 
dwell  with  me:  he  that  walketh  in 
a  perfect  way,  he  shall  serve  me. 

7  He  that  worketh  deceit  shall 
not  dwell  within  my  house:  he  that 
telleth  lies  shall  not  tarry  in  my 
sight. 

8  I  will  early  destroy  aU  the 
wicked  of  the  land;  that  I  may  cut 
off  all  wicked  doers  from  the  city 
of  the  Lord. 


1.  Love  and  justice  I  would  singl 
To    Thee,    oh    Lord,    would    I 

chant ! 

2.  I    would    recite  in   the  perfect 

way  I 

When  wilt  Thou  come  to  me? 
I  walk  in  perfectness  of  heart 
in  my  house. 

3.  I    set    before    mine    eyes    no 

wicked  thing. 
Faithless    dealing    I    hated,    it 
cleaveth    not    unto    me. 

4.  A   forward   heart  is   far   from 

me ;  evil  I  know  not. 

5.  Who    secretly    slandereth    his 

neighbor,  him  I  destroy. 
The  proud  of  look  and  haughty 
of  heart,  him  I  endure  not. 

6.  Mine  eyes  are  on  the  faithful 

of   the   land,  that  they   may 
dwell'  with    Me. 
Who    walketh    in    the    perfect 
way,  he  is  My  minister, 

7.  Who  practiseth  guile,  dwelleth 

not  in  My  house. 
Who  telleth  lies,  hath  no  place 
before    Me. 

8.  Betimes  I  will  destroy  all  the 

godless  of  the  land. 
To  cut  off  from  the  city  of  the 
Lord  all  worshippers  of  idols. 


The  Perfect  Way 

A  Psalm  of  the  virtues  which  will  ensure  to  the  Jews  the 
presence  of  God  in  their  midst.  It  is  the  assertion  of  the 
need  of  orthodoxy  and  of  true  religion  to  maintain  and  build 
up  the  little  Jewish  state  in  the  midst  of  heathen  neighbors, 
and  against  the  encroachments  of  vice  and  idolatry.  It  ^s  an 
instruction  in  the  form  of  a  liturg>'.  The  first  stanza  (1-2 ») 
opens  the  Psalm  in  a  familiar  way  with  words  of  song,  here 


380 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


three  in  number,  the  last  the  root  which  we  have  in  the 
musical  titles  of  a  number  of  Psalms,  maskil,  a  terminus  tech- 
nicus  for  a  particular  form  of  musical  rendering  (see  Intro- 
duction), here  rendered  recite  (2).  Love  and  justice  (1),  the 
old  virtues  commended  by  the  prophets  (cf.  Hos.  12^,  Jer.  9^*). 
Perfect  way  (2)  :  zvay  is  a  Deuteronomic  term  for  the  true 
religion,  which  we  have  found  in  use  in  a  number  of  Psalms 
dependent  on  Deuteronomic  influence.  The  phrase  is  here  de- 
veloped further,  and  means  the  perfectness  of  that  religion 
(cf.  119').  The  second  stanza  (2'''4)  appeals  to  God  to  come, 
and  puts  into  the  mouth  of  the  worshipper  a  confession  of  per- 
fectness of  heart,  basing  on  1  K.  9  *,  Yahaweh's  promise  to 
Solomon  after  the  building  of  the  Temple,  1  K.  8  ^°. 
The  Psalm  is  entitled  of  David,  which  means  not  literally  of 
David,  but  designates  the  Psalm  as  intended  for  use  in  the 
Davidic  ritual  of  the  Temple  prepared  for  by  him  and  built 
by  Solomon.  It  is  to  be  observed  that  as  we  proceed  in  the 
Psalter  we  find  the  Scriptures,  as  it  were,  growing  behind 
them.  It  may  be  that  the  heading  of  David  applies  also  to 
102,  the  two  constituting  one  liturgy,  related  to  one  another 
somewhat  as  1  K..  9  '^^,  and  1  K.  8  *®'^^ :  one  a  confession  of 
perfectness,  setting  forth  the  ideal ;  the  other  a  confession  of 
sin,  for  there  is  not  that  doth  not  sin,  to  accompany  the  sacrifice 
of  atonement.  Next  follows  from  God''s  side  the  statement  (5-7) 
of  what  He  requires  of  His  ministers  (6),  a  term  regularly  used 
of  the  levitical  priests  (Dt.  10  ^  2  ^,  Jer.  33  ^^)  ;  and  connected 
with  this  the  statement  of  what  He  will  not  abide,  ending 
with  the  promise  (8)  shortly  to  eliminate  the  ungodly  and 
idolaters.  Betimes,  literally  at  mornings,  suggesting  an  allusion  to 
the  morning  sacrifice.  The  whole  is  a  picture  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  ideal  Israel. 


CII 


A    Prayer    of    the    afflicted,    when    he    is 

overhelmed,  and  poureth  out  his  complaint 

before   the   Lord. 

HEAR  my  prayer,   O  Lord,  and 
let    my    cry    come    unto    thee. 
2  Hide  not  thy  face  from  me  in 
the  day  when  I  am  in  trouble ;  in- 
cline thine  ear  unto  me :  in  the  day 
7X'hen  I  call  answer  me  speedily. 


A  prayer  of  affliction,  when  a  man  fainteth 
and  poured  out  his  plaint  before  the  Lord. 

1.  Lord,  hear  my  prayer, 

And  let  my  crying  come  unto 
Thee. 

2.  Hide  not  Thy  face   from  me; 
In  the  day  of  my  straits  incline 

to  me  Thine  ear ; 
In  the  day  I  call  speedily  an- 
swer me. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


381 


3  For  my  days  are  consumed  like 
smoke,  and  my  bones  are  burned 
as  a  hearth. 

4  My  heart  is  smitten,  and 
withered  Hke  grass;  so  that  I  for- 
get to  eat  my  bread. 

5  By  reason  of  the  voice  of  my 
groaning  my  bones  cleave  to  my 
skin. 

6  I  am  like  a  pelican  of  the 
wilderness :  I  am  like  an  owl  of  the 
desert. 

7  I  watch,  and  am  as  a  sparrow 
alone  upon  the  housetop. 

8  Mine  enemies  reproach  me  all 
the  day;  and  they  that  are  mad 
against  me  are  sworn  against  me. 

9  For  I  have  eaten  ashes  like 
bread,  and  mingled  my  drink  with 
weeping, 

10  Because  of  thine  indignation 
and  thy  wrath :  for  thou  hast  lifted 
me  up,  and  cast  me  down. 

11  My  days  are  like  a  shadow 
that  declineth;  and  I  am  withered 
like  grass. 

12  But  thou,  O  Lord,  shalt  en- 
dure for  ever;  and  thy  remem- 
brance  unto   all   generations. 

13  Thou  shalt  arise,  and  have 
mercy  upon  Zion :  for  the  time 
to  favour  her,  yea,  the  set  time, 
is  come. 

14  For  thy  servants  take  pleasure 
in  her  stones,  and  favour  the  dust 
thereof. 

15  So  the  heathen  shall  fear  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  and  all  the  kings 
of  the  earth  thy  glory. 

16  When  the  Lord  shall  build  up 
Zion,  he  shall  appear  in  his  glory. 

17  He  will  regard  the  prayer  of 
the  destitute,  and  not  despise  their 
prayer. 


3.  For  my  days  are  vanished  in 

smoke, 
And    my    bones    like    fuel    are 
charred. 

4.  Blighted    like    the    grass,    and 

dried  up  is  my  heart; 
For    I   have    forgotten   to    eat 
my  bread ; 

5.  Thru   the   voice   of    my   groan- 

ing  my   bones  clave   to   my 
flesh. 

6.  I    am    like    a    pelican    of    the 

wilderness ; 
I   am   become  like  an  owl   of 
the  ruins. 

7.  I  have  watched  till  I  am  like 

a  lone  bird  on  the  roof. 

8.  All    the    day    my    foes    reviled 

me, 
They    that    profane    me    have 
made  me  a  curse. 

9.  For   ashes    have    I   eaten   like 

bread, 
And    mingled    my    drink   with 
my  tears, 

10.  Because    of    Thy    wrath    and 

fury. 
For   Thou  hast   taken   me   up 
and  cast  me  away. 

11.  My  days  are  like  a  lengthening 

shadow. 
And  I  am  dried  up  like  grass. 

12.  And  Thou,  Lord,  abidest  for- 

ever. 
And  Thy  memorial  to  all  ages. 

13.  Do    Thou    arise,    show    mercy 

to  Zion, 
For  it  is  time  to  pity  her,  for 
the   feast  is  come; 

14.  For    Thy    servants    love    her 

stones, 
And  her  very  dust  they  pity. 

15.  And    the    nations    would    fear 

the  name  of  the  Lord, 
And  all  the  kings  of  the  earth 
His  glory; 

16.  If  the  Lord  builded  Zion, 
Appeared  in  His  glory, 

17.  Accepted    the    prayer    of    the 

destitute. 
And    despised   not   their   peti- 
tion. 


382 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


18  This  shall  be  written  for  the 
generation  to  come :  and  the  peo- 
ple which  shall  be  created  shall 
praise  the  Lord. 

19  For  he  hath  looked  down  from 
the  height  of  his  sanctuary;  from 
heaven  did  the  Lord  behold  the 
earth ; 

20  To  hear  the  groaning  of  the 
prisoner;  to  loose  those  that  are 
appointed  to  death ; 

21  To  declare  the  name  of  the 
Lord  in  Zion,  and  his  praise  in 
Jerusalem; 

22  When  the  people  are  gathered 
together,  and  the  kingdoms,  to  serve 
the  Lord. 

23  He  weakened  my  strength  in 
the    way;    he    shortened    my    days. 

24  I  said,  O  my  God,  take  me 
not  away  in  the  midst  of  my  days : 
thy  years  are  throughout  all  gen- 
erations. 

25  Of  old  hast  thou  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  earth :  and  the 
heavens  are  the  work  of  thy  hands. 

26  They  shall  perish,  but  thou 
shalt  endure :  yea,  all  of  them  shall 
wax  old  like  a  garment;  as  a 
vesture  shalt  thou  change  them,  and 
they  shall  be  changed,: 

27  But  thou  art  the  same,  and 
thy   years    shall   have    no    end. 

28  The  children  of  thy  servants 
shall  continue,  and  their  seed  shall 
be  established  before  thee. 


18.  This    shall   be   written    for   an 

after  age. 
And    a    people    unborn    shall 
praise   Yah : 

19.  That  He  looked  from  His  holy 

height, 
The  Lord  from  heaven  beheld 
the  earth, 

20.  To    hear    the    groans    of    the 

captives. 
To    release    those    doomed    to 
death ; 

21.  To   tell   in   Zion  the  name  of 

the  Lord, 
And  His  praise  song  in  Jeru- 
salem, 

22.  When  peoples  are  gathered  to- 

gether, 
And    kingdoms,    to    serve    the 
Lord. 

23.  He  brought  down  in  the  way 

my  strength, 
He  shortened  my  days. 

24.  I   say:   My  God,   take  me  not 

away    in    the    midst    of    my 
days ; 
To  endless  ages  are  Thy  years. 

25.  Aforetime  Thou  foundedst  the 

earth. 
And  the  work  of  Thine  hands 
are  the  heavens ; 

26.  They    shall    perish,    but    Thou 

endurest. 
And    they    all    shall    wax    old 
like  a  garment ; 

27.  Like    clothing    Thou    changest 

them,  and  they  change ; 
But   Thou   art   the    same    and 
Thy  years  have  no  end. 

28.  Let  the  sons  of  Thy  servants 

abide, 
And  their  seed  be  estabHshed 
before  Thee. 


A  Solemn  Penitential 

As  indicated  by  the  heading  this  was  a  penitential  for  use 
at  one  of  the  stated  feasts  or  solemn  days  of  popular  gath- 
ering in  the  post-exilic  period.  The  general  conditions  are  such 
as  are  pictured  in  Neh.  1.  The  prayer  itself  might  well  be 
based  on  Solomon's  prayer  in  1  K.  8.  The  introductory  stanza 
(1,  2)   is  full  of  phrases  familiar  in  the  earlier  Psalms.     The 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  383 

grass   image,   so  prominent   in   the   Prayer   of    Moses,   is   used 
freely  in  this  Psalm,  as  also  the  creation  motive,  familiar  both 
in  those  Psalms  and  in  Deutero-Isaiah.     The  figures  of  worn- 
out  garments,  and  the  new  heavens  appear  in  Is.  51  ^,  65  ",  66  ". 
Verses  1-2  are  the  opening  appeal;  3-11  the  lament.     Pelican 
(6),    following   the    Greek.      The    identification    is    not    certain. 
This  verse  made  the  pelican  a  symbol  of   Christ  in  the  early 
Church.      Curse    (8)  ;   have  made  Jerusalem  a  name   to   curse 
by  because  of  its  ruin  and  misery.      Cast  me  away   (10),  cf. 
Jer.  7  ",  where  this  phrase  is  used  of  the  nations  Yahaweh  had 
destroyed.     Verses  12-22,  the  appeal,  based  on  the  abidingness 
of  Yahaweh,  by  whose  display  of  His  power  in  the  restoration 
of  Zion  His  name  shall  be  made  great  among  the  nations,  and 
all  peoples  shall  worship  Him  in  Jerusalem.     Feast   (13),  time 
of    assembly    or   solemn    day,    i.    e.,    the    festival    at    which    the 
people  gathered  and  at  which  this  Psalm  was  sung.     The  appeal 
closes   with   a   half   assumption   of    favorable   answer    (18-22), 
which  is  developed  further  along  the  same  lines  of  thought  in 
the  closing  stanza  (23-27).     God's  everlastingness,  which  is  the 
special   basis  of   appeal,   in  contrast   with   His   people's   transi- 
toriness,    is    here    emphasized    by    comparison    of    it    with    the 
duration    of    the    apparently    changeless    heavens.      28    is    the 
benediction. 

PSALMS  CHI— CVII 

These  five  Psalms  stand  under  one  heading,  of  David,  prefixed 
to  103,  and  constitute  one  liturgy  for  the  thank  offerings  of  the 
Pilgrims  coming  up  to  Jerusalem  out  of  the  Dispersion  at 
one  of  the  great  pilgrim  festivals,  Tabernacles  or  Passover, 
presumably  the  lormer.  We  are  here  in  general  in  the  same 
spiritual  atmosphere  as  in  Ps.  90-99.  It  is  the  period  of  Law. 
We  base  on  that  and  use  preceding  writings  in  general  to  an 
extent  and  in  a  maner  unknown  in  the  earlier  books ;  but 
the  Law  book  used  is  the  combination  of  Yahawistic  and 
Elohistic  codes  with  Deuteronomy,  known  to  critics  as  Jed, 
and  not  the  Priest  Code  (P),  or  the  completed  Hexateuch, 
v/hile  the  history  beyond  Joshua  is  Judges  and  Kings,  collec- 
tions made  under  the  influence  of  Deuteronomy.  We  use  freely 
earlier  Psalms,  and  are  in  the  atmosphere  of  Deutero-Isaiah 
(Is.  40-66),  and  also,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  collection 
especially,  of  Job.     In  general  the   period   is  one   of   spiritual 


384  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

enjoyment.  Israel,  delivered  from  captivity,  is  thankful  and 
hopeful,  looking  forward  to  greater  things,  content  with  its 
relation  to  God.  Although  it  has  sins  to  confess  and  misery 
to  complain  of,  it  is  no  longer  overwhelmed  by  the  former, 
and  is  confident  of  ultimate  deliverance  from  the  latter.  Our 
group,  103-107,  shows,  however,  considerable  advance  over  the 
earliest  group  of  this  collection,  90-99,  the  latter  apparently 
representing  the  time  immediately  succeeding  the  rebuilding  of 
the  Temple;  the  former  a  time  more  nearly  approximating 
that  following  Nehemiah,  a  century  later,  when  the  Priest  Code 
was  near  at  hand,  and  Deutero-Isaiah  and  Job  had  reached 
completion,  when  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem  had  become  an  im- 
portant factor  in  religious  life,  and  Jews  of  the  Dispersion 
were  to  be  found  in  the  Mediterranean  coast  lands  as  well 
as  in  Egypt  and  Babylonia. 

This  liturgy  commences  with  two  Bless  the  Lord  praise 
songs  (103,  104),  from  the  similarities  of  vocabulary  and 
syntax  apparently  by  the  same  hand,  and  both  poetically  of  a  high 
order.  The  first  (103)  sets  forth  the  glory  of  God  in  His  char- 
acter and  attributes  of  compassion  and  loving  kindness;  the 
second  (104)  His  wonders  of  power  and  love  displayed  in  the  cre- 
ation and  conservation  of  the  world.  Then  follow  the  thank 
Psalms,  105-107,  the  two  latter  using  the  technical  formula  of 
the  thank  ofifering  ritual.  Ps.  105,  after  an  introductory  praise 
song  which  connects  it  with  104,  proceeds  to  set  forth  the 
wonders  of  God  in  His  dealings  with  Israel,  in  the  form  of 
rhymed  narrative  of  inferior  poetic  character,  from  the  time 
of  the  covenant  with  the  patriarchs  and  the  days  of  wandering 
in  Canaan,  through  the  Egyptian  deliverance  and  the  40  years 
wandering  in  the  wilderness,  up  to  God's  gift  of  Canaan  to  Israel 
on  condition  that  Israel  shall  keep  God's  laws.  Ps.  106,  after 
an  introductory  prayer  and  praise  song  connecting  it  with  the 
preceding,  takes  up  the  historical  narrative  in  the  form  of  a 
confession  of  sins,  telling  of  Israel's  failure  to  fulfil  this  con- 
dition, its  persistent  rebellions  and  back-slidings  and  God's 
continual  compassion  and  long  sufifering,  up  to  and  including 
the  deliverance  from  the  Babylonian  captivity.  As  poetry  the 
rhymed  narrative  of  the  latter  is  superior  to  that  of  the  preceding 
Psalm,  indicating  a  different  hand.  The  concluding  Psalm  (107), 
different  in  metrical  composition  from  any  of  the  preceding, 
but  which  unifies  the  liturgy,  and  is,  I  presume,  from  the 
hand  of  the  Psalmist  who  combined  these  five  Psalms  to  form 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


385 


one  whole,  is  the  summons  to  the  Pilgrims,  who  are  come  from 
the  four  quarters  to  Jerusalem  for  the  annual  festival,  to 
offer  their  thank  offerings,  and  was  the  culmination  of  the 
ritual  of  that  thank  offering. 

As  pointed  out  in  the  Introduction,  some  time  before  the 
period  of  the  Chronicler  the  Psalms  after  90,  which  Psalms 
by  that  time  presumably  extended  through  134,  were  divided 
into  two  books,  to  make  the  Temple  hymnal  correspond  with 
the  Law  in  its  five-fold  division.  This  division  was  made 
mechanically  by  counting  off  as  many  Psalms,  17,  as  there 
were  in  the  preceding  book ;  hence  the  infelicitous  division  be- 
tween books  4  and  5,  which  now  separates  Ps.  107  from  the 
remaining  Psalms  of  this  liturgy.  Incidentally  the  method 
of  division  shows  that  the  manuscript  dislocation  by  which  the 
Prayers  of  David  (51-72)  were  interjected  into  the  Psalms 
of  Asaph  (50,  73-83)  already  existed  at  this  time,  as  we 
know  from  the  Septuagint  that  it  did  when  that  translation 
into  Greek  was  made. 

As  pointed  out  in  the  Introduction  also  tlie  evidence  that 
this  book  division  was  made  before  the  time  of  the  Chronicler  is 
contained  in  1  Chr.  16  ^"^^,  a  festival  hymn  composed  of  Ps. 
105  ^-",  96  ^-^^  and  106,  ^'  *^'  ■'^  the  last  two  verses  being  the 
doxology  of  the  book,  added  to  Ps.  106  when  the  present  book 
division  was  made.  Incidentally,  also  by  the  Chronicler's  combina- 
tion of  these  three  Psalms,  this  composite  Psalm  is  evidence  of  the 
existence  in  one  book  of  the  Psalms  of  which  it  is  com- 
posed. 

cm 

A   Ps.-ilm   of  David. 


BLESS  the  Lord,  O  my  soul :  and 
all  that  is  within  me,  bless  his 
holy  name. 

2  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and 
forget    not   all   his   benefits : 

3  Who  forgiveth  all  thine  iniqui- 
ties ;  who  healeth  all  thy  diseases ; 

4  Who  redeemeth  thy  life  from 
destruction ;  who  crowneth  thee 
with  lovingkindness  and  tender 
mercies ; 

5  Who  satisfieth  thy  tt^outh  with 
good  things;  so  that  thy  youth  is 
renewed  like  the  eagle's. 


1.  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul, 
And  all  that  is  within  me  bless 

His  holy  name. 

2.  Bless    the    Lord,    O    my    soul, 
And  forget  not  all  His  benefits. 

3.  Who  forgiveth  all  thy  guilt, 
Aiid  healeth  all  thy  sicknesses ; 

4.  Who  saveth  thy  life   from  de- 

struction, 
And  crowneth  thee  with  love 
and  kindness ; 

5.  Who  satisfieth  thy  mouth  with 

good  things, 
Renewing  like  the  eagle's  thy 
youth. 


386 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


6  The  Lord  executeth  righteous- 
ness and  judgment  for  all  that  are 
oppressed. 

7  He  made  known  his  ways  unto 
Moses,  his  acts  unto  the  children 
of  Israel. 

8  The  Lord  is  merciful  and 
gracious,  slow  to  anger,  and 
plenteous  in  mercy. 

9  He  will  not  always  chide : 
neither  will  he  keep  his  anger  for 
ever. 

10  He  hath  not  dealt  with  us 
after  our  sins;  nor  rewarded  us 
according    to    our    iniquities. 

11  For  as  the  heaven  is  high 
above  the  earth,  so  great  is  his 
mercy  toward  them  that  fear  him. 

12  As  far  as  the  east  is  from 
the  west,  so  far  hath  he  removed 
our  transgressions  from  us. 

13  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his 
children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them 
that  fear  him. 

14  For  he  knoweth  our  frame ; 
he  remembereth  that  we  are   dust. 

15  As  for  man,  his  days  are  as 
grass :  as  a  flower  of  the  field,  so 
he  flourisheth. 

16  For  the  wind  passeth  over  it, 
and  it  is  gone;  and  the  place  there- 
of shall  know  it  no  more. 

17  But  the  mercy  of  the  Lop.d  is 
from  everlasting  to  everlasting 
upon  them  that  fear  him,  and 
his  righteousness  unto  children's 
children ; 

18  To  such  as  keep  his  covenant. 
and  to  those  that  remember  his 
commandments  to  do  them. 

19  The  Lord  hath  prepared  his 
throne  in  the  heavens ;  and  his  kin^^- 
dom    ruleth   over   all. 


6.  The  Lord  executeth  righteous- 

ness, 
And  justice  toward  all  the  op- 
pressed. 

7.  He    showeth    His    ways    unto 

Moses, 
His  works  to  the  children  of 
Israel. 

8.  Merciful    and   gracious    is    the 

Lord, 
Long-suffering  and  abounding 
in  love. 

9.  He  will  not  alway  chide, 
Nor  keepeth  wrath  for  ever. 

10.  He    hath    not    dealt    with    us 

after  our  sins, 
Nor    rewarded    us    after    our 
iniquities. 

11.  For   as   heaven   is   high   above 

earth, 
So   great    is    His    love   toward 
them    that    fear    Him. 

12.  As  remote  as  the  east  from  the 

west, 
He     removed     our     iniquities 
from  us. 

13.  Like    as    a    father    pitieth    his 

children. 
The  Lord  pitieth  all  that  fear 
Him. 

14.  For  He  knoweth  how  we  are 

made, 
Is  mindful   that   we  are   dust. 

15.  The  days  of  man  are  as  grass; 
As    a   flower   of   the    field,    so 

he  flowereth. 

16.  For  a  wind  hath  passed  over 

it,  and  it  is  not, 
And    its    place    shall    know    it 
no   more. 

17.  But   the   love   of   the   Lord   is 

from    ever   and    to    ever. 
Even  unto  them  that  fear  Him, 
And    His    righteousness    unto 

children's   children, 

18.  To  them  that  keep  His  coven- 

ant, 
And    remember    His    precepts 
to  do  them. 

19.  The  Lord  hath  fixed  His  throne 

in  heaven. 
And  His  kingdom  ruleth  over 
all. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


387 


20  Bless  the  Lord,  ye  his  angels, 
that  excel  in  strength,  that  do  his 
commandments,  hearkening  unto 
the  voice  of  his  word. 

21  Bless  ye  the  Lord,  all  ye  his 
hosts ;  ye  ministers  of  his,  that  do 
his  pleasure. 

22  Bless  the  Lord,  all  his  works 
in  all  places  of  his  dominion:  bless 
the  Lord,  O  my  soul. 


20.  Bless   the   Lord,   ye    angels   of 

His, 
Mighty  in  strength,  doing  His 
word    (to  hear  the  voice  of 
His  word). 

21.  Bless  the  Lord,  all  ye  His  hosts, 
His  servants  doing  His  pleasure. 

22.  Bless   the   Lord,   all    works   of 

His, 
In  all  places  of  His  dominion. 
Bless   the   Lord,   O  my   soul. 


Compassion 

This  is  the  Compassion  Psalm,  emphasizing  the  loving  kind- 
ness and  compassion  of  the  Lord  (Ex.  34^),  phraseology  which 
so  impressed  Mohammed  that  it  became  the  characteristic  de- 
scription of  God  in  Islam.  It  is  a  favorite  Psalm  of  the 
Christian  Church,  and  verses  1-4,  20-22  constitute  the  chant 
known  as  Benedic,  Anima  Mea.  The  theme  is  God's  per- 
petual mercy  toward  Israel,  whom  He  keeps  ever  young,  cov- 
ering and  forgiving  his  sins  on  the  one  condition  that  he  keep 
the  precepts  given  through  Moses ;  good  Deutercncmic  doc- 
trine. Besides  Deuteronomy  it  tises  from  the  Pentateuch  the 
Judean  (J)  and  Israelite  (E)  narratives,  but  not  the  Priest 
Code  (P),  and  therefore  antedates  the  time  of  Ezra  (cf.  2 
and  Dt.  6  l^  8  " ;  3  and  Ex.  34  ^  15  2«;  8  and  Ex.  34  ^^  14  and 
Gen.  3^^  18  and  Ex.  20").  Like  the  Prayer  of  Moses  it 
uses  the  grass  motive  familiar  in  the  earlier  part  of  Deutero- 
Isaiah,  and  gives  a  great  prominence  to  angels  (cf.  15-17 
with  Ps.  90  =•  \  and  Is.  40  ""^ ;  cf .  also  5  and  Is.  40  " ;  9  and 
Is.  57  ^«,  Jer.  3^^  11  and  Is.  55  ^  16  and  Job  7^').  It  is 
later  than  all  of  these.  It  needs  no  analysis ;  being  a  continu- 
ous praise  song,  introduced  by  2  and  terminated  by  4  bless- 
ings. Month  (5)  ;  the  text  is  unintelligible.  Apparently  the 
eagle  was  believed  to  be  reborn,  or  rejuvenated,  like  the  Phoenix 
of  classic  story.  Precepts  (18)  ;  the  first  appearance  of  this  word, 
common  in  the  later  legalistic  Psalms  (19^,  111,  119).  To  hear, 
etc.  (20),  apparently  a  gloss.  This  Psalm  contains  numerous 
so-called  Aramaisms  and  late  uses,  but  as  poetry  it  ranks  high. 


CIV 


BLESS  the  Lord,  O  my  soul.  O 
Lord  my  God,  thou  art  very 
great ;  thou  art  clothed  with  honour 
and   majesty: 


1.    Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soull 

Lord,  my  God,  very  great  art 

Thou, 
In  honor  and  glory  art  Thou 

robed ; 


388 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


2  Who  coverest  thyself  with  light 
as  with  a  garment:  who  stretchest 
out  the  heavens  like  a  curtain: 

3  Who  layeth  the  beams  of  his 
chambers  in  the  waters:  who 
maketh  the  clouds  his  chariot:  who 
walketh  upon  the  wings  of  the 
wmd : 

4  Who  maketh  his  angels  spirits; 
his  mmisters  a  flaming  fire : 

5  Who  laid  the  foundations  of 
the  earth,  that  it  should  not  be  re^ 
moved  for  ever. 

6  Thou  coveredst  it  with  the  deep 
as  with  a  garment:  the  waters 
stood   above   the   mountains. 

7  At  thy  rebuke  they  fled ;  at  the 
voice  of  thy  thunder  they  hasted 
away. 

8.  They  go  up  by  the  mountains  ; 
they  go  down  by  the  valleys  unto 
the  place  which  thou  hast  founded 
for  them, 

9  Thou  hast  set  a  bound  that  they 
may  not  pass  over;  that  they  turn 
not  again   to  cover   the   earth. 

10  He  sendeth  the  springs  into 
the  valleys,   whuh   run   among  the 

JIJ^PJ'^^.  "^""^  ^°  ev^'^  beast 
of  the  field :  the  wild  asses  quench 
their  thirst. 

12  By  them  shall  the  fowls  of 
the  heaven  have  their  habitation, 
which  sing  among  the  branches. 

h\lM^^  u^^^^^'^^^  ^^^  hills  from 
his  chambers :  the  earth  is  satisfied 
with   the    fruit   of   thy   works. 

fnJ"^  ^^  ^^"-'^^  the  grass  to  grow 
for    the    cattle,    and    herb    for   the 

fc^fh%  °!,  '"^"  '■  i'^^^  he  may  bring 
forth  food  out  of  the  earth ; 

ihl^J^""^.    "J"'"^    '^'"^    maketh    glad 

Ins  face  to  shine,  and  bread  which 
strengtheneth  man's  heart 


11. 


12. 


13. 


14. 


2.  Donning  light  as  a  vesture, 
Extending    heaven    as    a    cur- 
tain ; 

3.  Laying  in  the  waters  the  beams 

of  His  chambers. 
Making   clouds    His  chariot. 
Travelling  on  wings   of  wind, 

4.  Making   His   angels   winds, 
His  ministers  flaming  fire. 

5.  He    founded    the   earth    in    its 

place. 
Unmoved   for  ever  and  aye, 
5.    With  the  deep  as  a  robe  Thou 

coveredst   it, 
On  the  mountains   the  waters 

stand ; 

'.     At   Thy   rebuke  they  flee. 
At  the  voice  of   Thy  thunder 
they   scatter — 
.     Mountains   rise,  valleys   sink- 
To  the  place  that  Thou  didst 
appoint  them. 
.     A   bound   Thou   hast   set   that 
they   pass   not, 
Return  not  to  cover  the  earth. 

He    sendeth    forth    springs    in 

the  valleys ; 
Between  mountains  they  flow; 
They  give  drink  to  all  beasts 

of  the  field, 
Wild       asses       quench       their 

thirst; 

By    them    dwell    the    fowl    of 

heaven. 
Among   the   boughs   they   give 

song. 

He    watereth    mountains    from 

His    chambers. 
Of    the    fruit    of    Thy    works 

earth  is  full. 

He  causeth  grass  to  grow  for 

the    cattle. 
And    herbage    for    the    service 

of   man. 
To    bring    forth    bread    from 

the    earth, 

(And    wine    gladdeneth    man's 
heart.) 

To  make  his   face  shine   with 
oil. 

(And       bread       strengtheneth 
man's     heart.) 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


389 


16  The  trees  of  the  Lord  are  full 
of  sap;  the  cedars  of  Lebanon, 
which  he  hath  planted; 

17  Where  the  birds  make  their 
nests :  as  for  the  stork,  the  fir  trees 
are  her  house. 

18  The  high  hills  are  a  refuge 
for  the  wild  goats;  and  the  rocks 
for  the  conies. 

19  He  appointed  the  moon  for 
seasons :  the  sun  knoweth  his  going 
down. 

20  Thou  makest  darkness,  and  it 
is  night :  wherein  all  the  beasts  of 
the  forest  do  creep  forth. 

21  The  young  lions  roar  after 
their  prey,  and  seek  their  meat 
from  God. 

22  The  sun  ariseth,  they  gather 
themselves  together,  and  lay  them 
down  in  their  dens. 

23  Man  goeth  forth  unto  his 
work  and  to  his  labour  until  the 
evening. 

24  O  Lord,  how  manifold  are 
thy  works !  in  wisdom  hast  thou 
made  them  all :  the  earth  is  full  of 
thy  riches. 

25  So  is  this  great  and  wide  sea, 
wherein  are  things  creeping  in- 
numerable, both  small  and  great 
beasts. 

26  There  go  the  ships :  there  is 
that  leviathan,  zvhom  thou  hast 
made  to  play  therein. 

27  These  wait  all  upon  thee ;  thit 
thou  mayest  give  them  their  meat 

in  due  season. 

28  That  thou  givest  them  they 
gather:  thou  openest  thine  hand, 
they  are  filled  with  good. 

29  Thou  hidest  thy  face,  they  are 
troubled:  thou  takest  away  their 
breath,  they  die,  and  return  to  their 
dust. 


16.  The    trees    of    the    Almighty 

have  their  fill. 
Cedars    of    Lebanon    that    He 
planted, 

17.  Where  birds  make  their  nest; 
The    Storks,    whose    home    is 

firs ; 

18.  The   high   hills    for    the   wild- 

goats; 
Rocks  a  refuge  for  the  conies. 

19.  He   made   the   moon    for    sea- 

sons. 
The  sun  knoweth  his  setting; 

20.  Thou    makest    darkness,    that 

it   is   night, 
Wherein     all     beasts     of     the 
forest  prowl; 

21.  The  hons  roaring  for  prey. 
To  seek  from  God  their  food. 

22.  The     sun     riseth,     they     hide 

away,  .       ,    • 

And   lay   them   down   m   their 
dens ; 

23.  Man  goeth  forth  to  his  work, 
To  his  labor  until  evening. 

24.  (How    manifold    Thy    works, 

Lord! 
1  In  wisdom  Thou  madest  them 

I  all.) 

The    earth    is     full    of     Thy 
creatures ; 

25.  Yonder    the    sea,    great    and 

wide   extending. 

Where  are  moving  things  un- 
numbered, 

Creatures  small  and  great; 

26.  Where    the    ships    make    their 

course; 
That  leviathan  thou   formedst 
to  play  with. 

27.  All  of  them  wait  upon  Thee, 
To    give    them    their    food    at 

its  time; 

28.  Thou  givest  them,  they  gather; 
Thou     openest     Thine     hand, 

they    are    sated,  with    good; 
29.     Thou    hidest    Thy    face,    they 

are   troubled ; 
Thou    resumest    their    breath, 

they    perish. 
And     unto     their     dust     they 

return. 


390 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


30  Thou  sendest  forth  thy  spirit, 
they  are  created :  and  thou  renewest 
the  face  of  the  earth. 

31  The  glory  of  the  Lord  shall 
endure  for  ever :  the  Lord  shall 
rejoice  in  his  works. 

32  He  looketh  on  the  earth,  and 
it  trembleth :  he  toucheth  the  hills, 
and  they  smoke. 

33  I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord  as 
long  as  I  live :  I  will  sing  praise 
to  my  God  while  I  have  my  being. 

34  My  meditation  of  him  shall 
be  sweet :  I  will  be  glad  in  the  Lord. 

35  Let  the  sinners  be  consumed 
out  of  the  earth,  and  let  the  wicked 
be  no  more.  Bless  thou  the  Lord, 
O  my  soul.     Praise  ye  the  Lord. 


30.  Thou       sendest       forth       Thy 

breath,    they    are    created, 
And   Thou   renewest   the   face 
of    the    ground. 

31.  Be  the  glory  of  the  Lord  for 

ever; 
Let   the    Lord    rejoice    in    His 
works  I 

32.  Who  looketh  at  the  earth,  and 

it    trembleth ; 
He    toucheth    the     mountains, 
and   they   smoke. 

33.  Let   me   sing   to   the    Lord   as 

long  as   I   live. 
Make  music  to  my  GoD  while 
I    have    any   being ; 

34.  Be  my  musing  sweet  to  Him  I 
I   would   rejoice   in   the   Lord. 

35.  Let    sinners    cease    from    the 

land. 
And     the     godless     exist     no 
more. 

Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul  I 
(Hallelu-Yah.) 


Creation 

Like  the  preceding,  this  begins  and  ends  with  a  "bless  the 
Lord,  O  my  soul,"  but  while  in  103  the  blessing  is  worked 
into  the  texture  of  the  Psalm,  here  it  is  merely  a  liturgical 
prefix  and  suffix.  It  is  tempting  to  think  that  the  Compassion 
Psalm  was  intended  for  evening,  this  Creation  Psalm  for 
morning  use  in  the  great  liturgy.  The  theme  of  this  Psalm 
is  the  glory  of  God  in  creation,  a  favorite  post-exilic  theme, 
as  in  Deutero-Isaiah  (40  22),  j^^  ^33  6,  n^^  Proverbs  (8^^),  and 
Gen.  (1);  but  cf.  also  Am.  9 «- ^  Gen.  2.  Our  Psalm  has 
marked  resemblances  to  Gen.  1,  but  equally  marked  differences. 
Here  we  lack  the  characteristic  seven  days,  and  while  God 
first  creates  light,  the  second  creative  act  is  not  of  the  firma- 
ment, but  the  liberation  of  earth  from  the  waters  of  chaos 
(tchom,  deep),  with  which  God  has  covered  it.  It  emerges 
at  the  voice  of  His  thunders,  part  of  the  waters  descending 
to  form  the  abyss,  from  which  come  springs  to  water  the  val- 
leys, part  ascending  to  be  absorbed  in  God's  upper  chambers, 
to  descend  in  rain  to  water  the  mountains.  The  picture  of 
the  process  by  which  earth  was  made  habitable  (10-18)  is  quite 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  391 

unlike  in  arrangement  and  conception  the  account  of  the  similar 
process  in  Genesis.  On  the  other  hand,  the  purpose  of  the 
creation  of  moon  and  sun  in  our  Psalm  is  strikingly  like  that 
presented  in  Genesis,  4th  day,  and  Yahaweh's  joy  in  His 
creation  (31)  is  like  His  approval  of  His  creation  in  Gen.  1  '^ 
But  while  in  Genesis  creation  was  an  act  complete  for  all 
time,  here  it  seems  to  be  conceived  of  rather  as  a  continuous 
process.  God  does  not  set  off  the  completed  earth  apart  from 
himself,  but  it  remains  as  it  were  dependent  on  Him  for  con- 
tinued life  and  growth.  And  indeed  in  this  recognition  of 
creation  as  a  continuous  dependence  on  God  our  Psalm  seems 
unique.  Apparently  with  certain  of  the  material  used  in 
Gen.  1  our  Psalmist  was  familiar,  but  that  material  had  not 
yet  assumed  its  final  form.  He  knew  and  used  Am.  9,  and 
Deutero-Isaiah,  and  perhaps  Job. 

The  first  stanza  (1-4)  pictures  the  creation  of  light  and  the 
heavens,  days  1  and  2  of  Gen.  1,  but  differently  handled, 
with  a  wealth  of  allusions  and  richness  of  imagery,  and  an 
anthropomorphism  quite  unlike  the  latter.  Extending  heaven 
(2),  cf.  Is.  40^^.  Chambers  (3),  i.  e.,  the  roof  or  upper 
chambers,  the  top  story,  where  Yahaweh  dwells,  above  the 
waters  above  the  heavens,  on  which  its  supporting  beams  rest, 
cf.  Am.  9  ^.  For  the  remainder  of  this  verse  cf .  18  ^°,  and 
Is.  19  ^.  It  is  somewhat  uncertain  whether  in  verse  4  angels 
and  ministers  are  primary  and  winds  and  fire  secondary  objects, 
or  the  reverse.  For  this  verse  cf .  perhaps  2  K.  2  ^\  6  ^^  It  is 
cited  in  Heb.  1  ''.  The  second  stanza  (5-9)  represents  the 
creation  of  the  world  in  a  manner,  as  stated  above,  quite  dif- 
ferent from  Gen.  1.  When  God  originally  created  it,  founding 
it  in  its  place,  it  was  submerged  in  the  great  deep.  At  God's 
voice  of  thunder  (cf.  18  ^^-is^  tl^g  waters  were  driven  back, 
and  the  earth  emerged  with  its  mountains  and  valleys,  and  the 
deep  was  barred  in,  part  of  it  above,  part  beneath  the  earth. 
From  the  latter  (stanza  3,  verses  10-13)  come  the  springs 
and  streams  (10)  in  the  valleys,  which  water  the  wild  beasts 
and  birds ;  out  of  the  former  God  from  His  upper  chambers 
waters  the  mountains  with  rain  (13).  Stanza  4  (14-18)  de- 
scribes the  provision  of  plants  and  trees  for  cattle  and  men, 
whose  existence  is  presupposed ;  grass  for  cattle,  bread  and  the 
olive  for  man.  15"'*',  in  a  different  construction  from  the  rest, 
15**  also  repeating  14",  may  be  interpolations  or  glosses.  It 
should  be  said,  however,  that  change  of  construction,  of  mood 


392  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

and  of  person  are  intentionally  frequent  in  this  Psalm.  Trees 
also  which  bear  no  fruit  He  makes  for  birds,  and  even  the 
rough  and  barren  rocks  have  their  use.  Almighty  (16),  Heb. 
Shaddai,  an  ancient  title  of  God,  following  the  indications  of 
the  Greek  translation.  The  Heb.  text  reads  Yahaweh.  Conies 
(18),  or  rock  badgers,  hyrax  syriacus.  Moon  and  sun  were 
created  (19-23),  the  moon  to  fix  the  seasons  of  the  year, 
including  feasts  and  fasts,  the  sun  to  form  day  and  night,  the 
latter  of  which  is  for  the  wild,  the  former  for  man.  The 
roaring  of  the  lions  (21)  is  interpreted  as  their  cry  to  God 
for  food.  Verse  24  ^'  ^  may  be  a  gloss  or  interpolation  of  one 
who  thus  interjects  his  admiration  of  the  wonders  of  creation 
here  described  (cf.  40',  Pr.  3^^).  Compare  with  this  the  fol- 
lowing from  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  Persian  Gathas  (Yasiia 
XLIV)  :  "This  I  ask  Thee,  O  Ahura !  Tell  me  aright:  Who  by 
generation  was  the  first  father  of  the  Righteous  Order?  Who 
gave  the  sun  and  stars  their  way?  Who  established  that  where- 
by the  noon  waxes,  and  whereby  she  wanes,  save  Thee? 
These  things,  O  Great  Creator,  would  I  know,  and  others 
likewise  still. 

"This  I  ask  Thee,  O  Ahura,  tell  ms  aright :  Who  from  beneath 
hath  sustained  the  earth  and  the  clouds  above  that  they  do 
not  fall?  Who  made  the  waters  and  the  plants?  Who  to  the 
wind  has  yoked  on  the  storm  clouds,  the  swiftest  and  fleetest 
two?  Who,  O  Great  Creator,  is  the  inspirer  of  the  good 
thought  ? 

"This  I  ask  Thee,  O  Ahura !  Tell  me  aright :  Who  as  a 
skilful  artisan  made  the  light  and  the  darkness?  Who,  as 
thus  skilful,  hath  made  sleep  and  the  waking?  Who  dawn- 
ings,  noontides  and  midnight,  monitors  to  man,  duty's  guides?" 

The  next  stanza  (24 ''-26)  adds  to  the  creatures  of  earth 
those  of  the  sea,  noting  as  especially  wonders  of  the  sea  ships 
and  Leviathan  (26).  Play  zvith,  i.  e.,  created  by  God  for  His 
amusement;  or  to  sport  therein,  i.  e.,  created  by  God  that  He 
may  disport  Himself  therein.  A  comparison  with  Job  41  ^ 
seems  to  give  the  preference  to  the  former  interpretation,  in 
which  case  the  Leviathan  would  seem  to  be  rather  the  crocodile 
as  described  in  Job  (41)  than  the  actual  mythical  Leviathan 
monster  (74  ^^  and  Job  11  ^'^),  cf.,  however.  Gen.  1".  The 
following  stanza  (27-30)  deals  with  the  creatures  of  both 
land  and  water  and  their  dependence  on  Yahaweh  for  all 
things.     Verses  29,   30  express   the   same   view   of  the   origin 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


393 


of  life  as  the  anthropomorphic  creation  story  of  Gen.  2,  that 
men  and  beasts  are  made  of  dust  into  which  God  has  breathed 
His  breath  (cf.  Gen.  2^\  3^").  Resumest  (29),  hterally 
gathcrest.  Verses  31-34  constitute  the  final  praise  outburst,  and 
35  is  the  curse,  as  in  the  old  psalmody.  Verse  31,  cf.  Gen.  1  ". 
God's  glory  is  displayed  as  at  Horcb  by  earthquake  and  lightning 
(32).  For  oZ  cf.  146  2.  Hallclu-Yah  (35)  belongs  with  the 
following  Psalm,  as  in  the  Greek. 


cv 


of 

his 
his 


/'^  IVE  thanks  unto  the  Lord; 
^^call  upon  his  name:  make 
known  his  deeds  among  the  people. 

2  Sing  unto  him,  sing  psalms 
unto  him :  talk  ye  of  all  his 
wondrous   works. 

3  Glory  ye  in  his  holy  name : 
let  the  heart  of  them  rejoice  that 
seek  the  Lord. 

4  Seek  the  Lord,  and  his 
strength :    seek  his    face   evermore. 

5  Remember       his        marvellous 
works     that    he     hath     done ;     his 
wonders,    and    the    judgments 
his    mouth ; 

6  O  ye  seed  of  Abraham 
servant,  ye  children  of  Jacob 
chosen. 

7  He  is  the  Lord  our  God :  his 
judgments  are  in  all  the  earth. 

8  He  hath  remembered  his 
covenant  for  ever,  the  word  which 
he  commanded  to  a  thousand 
generations. 

9  Which  covenant  he  made  with 
Abraham,  and  his  oath  unto  Isaac ; 

10  And  confirmed  the  same 
unto  Jacob  for  a  law,  and  to 
Israel  for  an  everlasting  covenant: 

11  Saying,  Unto  thee  will  I  give 
the  land  of  Canaan,  the  lot  of 
your  inheritance : 

12  When  they  were  but  a  few 
men  in  number;  yea,  very  few, 
and    strangers    in    it. 


1.  Give  thanks  to  the   Lord,  call 

on    His    name. 
Make  known  among  the  peo- 
ples Hig  doiiTgs. 

2.  Sing   to    Him,   chant   to   Him, 
Muse  on  all  His  wonders. 

3.  Glory    in    His    holy    name. 
Let    the    heart    of    them    that 

seek  the  Lord  be  glad. 

4.  Inquire  of   the  Lord  and   His 

might, 
Seek    His    face    alway; 

5.  Remember    His    wonders    that 

He  wrought, 
His    portents    and    the    judg- 
ments   of    His   mouth, 

6.  Seed    of    Abraham,    His    ser- 

vant, 
Children       of       Jacob,       His 
chosen. 

7.  He  is  the  Lord,  our  God, 

In     all     the     earth     are     His 
judgments. 

8.  He  hath  remembered  for  ever 

His    covenant, 
The  word   He  commanded   to 
a    thousand    generations, 

9.  Which  He  cut  with  Abraham, 
And  His  oath  to  Isaac ; 

10.  And  He   ordained   it  to   Jacob 

for   a    statute. 
To    Israel   a   perpetual   coven- 
ant; 

11.  Saying,    To    thee    I    give    the 

land    of    Canaan, 
The   lot   of   your   inheritance ; 

12.  When  they  were  few  in  num- 

ber, 
As     nought,     and     strangers 
therein. 


394 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


13  When  they  went  from  one 
nation  to  another,  from  one  king- 
dom to  another  people ; 

14  He  suffered  no  man  to  do 
them  wrong:  yea,  he  reproved 
kings    for  their   sakes ; 

15  Saying,  Touch  not  mine 
anointed,  and  do  my  prophets  no 
harm. 

16  Moreover  he  called  for  a 
famine  upon  the  land :  he  brake 
the  whole  staff  of  bread. 

17  He  sent  a  man  before  them, 
even  Joseph,  u'ho  was  sold  for  a 
servant : 

18  Whose  feet  they  hurt  with 
fetters:   he   was   laid   in   iron: 

19  Until  the  time  that  his  word 
came:  the  word  of  the  Lord  tried 
him. 

20  The  king  sent  and  loosed 
him;  even  the  ruler  of  the  people, 
and   let  him  go   free. 

21  He  made  him  lord  of  his 
house  and  ruler  of  all  his  sub- 
stance : 

22  To  bind  his  princes  at  his 
pleasure ;  and  teach  his  senators 
wisdom. 

23  Israel  also  came  into  Egypt ; 
and  Jacob  sojourned  in  the  land 
of  Ham. 

24  And  he  increased  his  people 
greatly;  and  made  them  stronger 
than  their  enemies. 

25  He  turned  their  heart  to  hate 
his  people,  to  deal  subtilely  with 
his   servants. 

26  He  sent  Moses  his  servant ; 
and   Aaron   whom   he   had   chosen. 

27  They  shewed  his  signs  among 
them,  and  wonders  in  the  land  of 
Ham. 

28  He  sent  darkness,  and  made 
it  dark;  and  they  rebelled  not 
against  his  word. 


13.  And    they    went    about    from 

nation  to   nation, 
From    a    kingdom    to    another 
people. 

14.  He    suffered   none    to   oppress 

them, 
And  for  them  rebuked  kings : 

15.  Touch  not  Mine  anointed. 
And  My  prophets  harm  not. 

16.  And    He   called   a    famine    on 

the    land. 
All    the    staff    of    bread    He 
brake. 

17.  He   sent   a  man  before   them, 
Joseph,  sold  for  a  slave. 

18.  They  _  humbled     with     fetters 

his   feet. 
Into  irons  he  was  cast; 

19.  Until  the  time  his  saying  came 

true 
The  word  of  the  Lord  proved 
him. 

20.  A   king   sent   and  loosed   him, 
A    ruler    of    peoples,    and    set 

him  free ; 

21.  He     made    him    lord    of    his 

house. 
And    ruler    of    all    his    sub- 
stance ; 

22.  To  bind  his  princes  at  his  will, 
And  that  he   might   teach  his 

elders. 

23.  And    Israel    came    into    Egypt, 
And    Jacob    sojourned    in    the 

land    of    Ham ; 

24.  And    He    increased    His    peo- 

ple  greatly, 
And   made  him   stronger  than 
Egypt. 

25.  He  turned  their  heart  to  hate 

His    people. 
To  break   faith  with   His  ser- 
vants. 

26.  He    sent    Moses,    His    servant, 

Aaron  whom  He  had  chosen. 

27.  They     put    among     them     the 

words    of    His    signs, 
And   portents   in   the   land   of 
Ham. 

28.  He   sent  darkness  and   it  was 

dark, 
But  they  rebelled  against  His 
words. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


395 


29  He  turned  their  waters  into 
blood,  and  slew  their  fish. 

30  Their  land  brought  forth 
frogs  in  abundance,  in  the  cham- 
bers   of    their   kings. 

31  He  spake,  and  there  carne 
divers  sorts  of  flies,  and  Hce  in 
all  their  coasts. 

32  He  gave  them  hail  for  rain, 
and  flaming  fire  in  their  land. 

33  He  smote  their  vines  also 
and  their  fig  trees;  and  brake  the 
trees   of   their  coasts. 

*"  34  He  spake,  and  the  locusts 
came,  and  caterpillars,  and  that 
without    number, 

35  And  did  eat  up  all  the  herbs 
in  their  land,  and  devoured  the 
fruit  of  their  ground. 

36  He  smote  also  all  the  first- 
born in  their  land,  the  chief  of 
all  their  strength. 

37  He  brought  them  forth  also 
with  silver  and  gold:  and  there 
was  not  one  feeble  person  among 
their   tribes. 

38  Egypt  was  glad  when  they 
departed :  for  the  fear  of  them 
fell  upon  them. 

39  He  spread  a 
covering ;  and  fire 
in  the  night. 

40  The  people  asked,  and  he 
brought  quails,  and  satisfied  them 
with  the  bread   of   heaven. 

41  He  opened  the  rock,  and  the 
waters  gushed  out;  they  ran  in 
the  dry  places  like  a  river. 

42  For  he  remembered  his  holy 
promise,  and  Abraham  his  servant. 

43  And  he  brought  forth  his 
people  with  joy,  and  his  chosen 
with  gladness : 

44  And  gave  them  the  lands  of 
the  heathen:  and  they  inherited 
the  labour  of  the  people; 


cloud     for     a 
to    give    light 


29.  He     turned     their     waters     to 

blood. 
And  slew  their  fish. 

30.  Their      land      swarmed      with 

frogs,  . 

In     the     chambers     of     their 
kings. 

31.  He    spake    and    there    came    a 

swarm. 
Sand  flies  in  all  their  region. 

32.  He   gave    them   hail    for    rain. 
Flaming  fire  in  their  land. 

33.  And     He     smote     their     vines 

and  their  figs. 
And  brake  the  trees   of   their 
region. 

34.  And  He  spake  and  the  locust 

came. 
And  grasshoppers  innumerable, 

35.  And     ate     all     the     green     in 

their  land. 
And    ate    the    fruit    of    their 
ground. 

36.  And    He    smote    all    the    first 

born    in    their    land, 
All     the     firstlings     of     their 
manhood. 

37.  And    He    brought    them    forth 

with  silver  and  gold. 
And    there    were    none    feeble 
among  them ; 

38.  Egypt   was    glad    at   their    de- 

parting, 
For    fear    of    them    fell    upon 
them. 

39.  He   spread  out  a  cloud   for  a 

screen. 
And    fire    to    give    them    light 
by  night. 

40.  They    asked    and    He    brought 

quails, 
And  with  bread  of  heaven  Ht 
sated   them. 

41.  He     opened     the     rock     and 

waters    gushed    out. 
There   ra_n   in   the   dry   land   a 
river. 

42.  For  He  remembered  His  holy 

word. 
With    Abraham,    His    servant; 

43.  And  _  He    brought    forth    His 

people  with  joy. 
With  singing  His  chosen. 

44.  And   He  gave  them   the  lands 

of  the  nations, 
And    the    labor    of    the    peo- 
ples they  possess ; 


396  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


45  That  they  might  observe  his 
statutes,  and  keep  his  laws.  Praise 
ye  the   Lord. 

Hallelu-Yah. 


45.    On    condition    that   they    keep 
His    statutes, 
And   that   His   laws   they   ob- 
serve. 
Hallelu-Yah. 


Exodus  and  Conquest 

As  the  two  preceding  Psalms  praise  the  wonders  of  God,  the 
one  in  His  compassion  and  mercy,  the  other  in  creation,  so 
this  and  the  succeeding  Psalm  tell  of  His  marvels  toward  His 
people,  Israel.  The  two  pairs  differ  widely  from  one  another 
in  poetic  merit,  as  already  pointed  out.  The  former  are  real 
poems,  and,  while  using  earlier  scriptures,  do  so  with  a  free- 
dom of  treatment  which  makes  them  original  contributions.  The 
latter,  on  the  other  hand,  follow  slavishly  the  scriptures  they 
use,  merely  putting  them  in  rhyme  for  didactic  purposes.  Each 
is  preceded  and  the  105th  also  succeeded  by  the  ancient  praise 
cry  hallelu-Yah,  praise  Yah.  The  opening  verses  of  this  Psalm 
are  used  in  Is.  12  ■*;  verses  1-5  constitute  Chr.  16  «--^  -pj^g 
first  stanza,  1-7,  is  the  summons  to  praise,  a  series  of  verses 
composed  of  familiar  Psalm  phrases.  For  the  phrase  judgments 
of  His  mouth,  cf.  119".  Stanza  2(8-15)  deals  with  the  patri- 
archal history  down  to  Joseph.  9.  cf.  Gen.  17  2,  221"'  ^^  26  ^ 
Ctit,  the  technical  word  for  striking  a  covenant,  whether  from  the 
custom  of  sacrificing  therewith,  or  the  ancient  custom  of  exchange 
of  blood.  10.  Jacob,  cf .  Gen.  28  "■^''.  Israel  is  the  people.  Lot 
(11),  cf.  78  ^^  Few  (12),  cf.  Gen.  34  ^\  Dt.  7  \  Sojourner,  cf. 
Gen.  23  *.  13  ^  seems  to  be  a  rather  clumsy  expression  of  the 
fact  that  the  patriarchs  not  only  roamed  through  Palestine,  but 
Abraham  also  visited  a  foreign  country,  Egypt,  in  his  wanderings. 
14,  cf.  Gen.  12^',  20  ^  15,  cf.  Gen.  41".  Stanza  3  (16-22)  is 
the  story  of  Joseph  as  contained  in  Gen.  37-45.  Stanza  4  (23-27) 
covers  the  period  from  Israel's  coming  to  Egypt  down  to  the 
mission  of  Moses  and  Aaron.  23,  cf .  Gen.  46  « ;  24,  Ex.  1  ^'  » ;  25, 
Ex.  1  ^^'i  26,  Ex.  3  ^°.  Verses  27-36  use  freely  78  ^'^^  Stanza 
5  (28-36)  tells  of  the  Egyptian  plagues,  commencing  with  the 
ninth,  darkness,  reversing  three  and  four  (sandflies  and  swarms), 
and  omitting  altogether  five  and  six  (cattle  plague  and  boils). 
Otherwise  it  follows  the  narrative  contained  in  Ex.  7-12.  Rebelled 
(28),  following  the  Greek.  The  Hebrew  reads  did  not  rebel, 
which  is  evidently  a  scribal  error.  Sandflies  (31),  meaning  un- 
certain ;  variously  rendered  sandflies,  fleas,  lice.     Precisely  what 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


397 


are  meant  by  the  word  sivarm  is  also  uncertain.  Region  (31,  33), 
or  border,  apparently  representing  the  division  between  the  ter- 
ritory occupied  by  the  Hebrews  and  that  occupied  by  the  Egyp- 
tians, only  the  latter  of  which  was  affected  by  the  plagues.  Lo- 
cust,  and  grasshopper  (34),  representing  the  same  creature  in 
two  different  stages,  as  crawler  and  flier.  36,  cf .  78  °\  Stanza 
6  (37-45)  covers  the  period  from  the  Eijvptian  deliverance  to 
the  conquest  and  occupation  of  Canaan.  37,  38,  cf.  Ex.  12  ""^®. 
39,  cf.  Ex.  13  21-22^  1419,20  39.41^  cf.  78 "-"' ^«>  2*' -^  The 
events  here  do  not  follow  the  order  of  the  narrative.  40,  cf .  Ex. 
16  ^^-^^  41,  Ex.  17^43,  Ex.  15.  For  44  a,  cf.  78  =^;  44  b,  Dt.  6 '"-^^ 
45,  Dt.  4  *°,  and  in  general  the  Deuteronomic  presentation  of  the 
relation  of  the  observance  of  the  Law  to  the  prosperity  of  Israel, 
and  ultimately  to  Israel's  continued  possession  of  Canaan. 


CVI 


P  RAISE  ye  the  Lord.  O  give 
-■•  thanks  unto  the  Lord;  for  he  is 
good :  for  his  mercy  endureth  for 
ever. 

2  Who  can  utter  the  mighty  acts 
of  the  Lord?  zvho  can  shew  forth 
all   his   praise? 

3  Blessed  are  they  that  keep 
judgment,  and  he  that  doeth  right- 
eousness  at   all  times. 

4  Remember  me,  O  Lord,  with 
the  favour  that  thou  bearcst  unto 
thy  people :  O  visit  me  with  thy 
salvation ; 

5  That  I  may  see  the  good  of 
thy  chosen,  that  I  may  rejoice  in 
the  gladness  of  thy  nation,  that  I 
may   glory    with    thine    inheritance. 

6  We  have  sinned  with  our 
fathers,  we  have  committed  in- 
iquity,  we  have   done  wickedly. 

7  Our  fathers  understood  not 
thy  wonders  in  Egypt;  they  re- 
membered not  the  multitude  of  tny 
mercies ;  but  provoked  him  at  the 
sea,    even   at   the    Red   sea. 

8  Nevertheless  he  saved  them 
for  his  name's  sake,  that  he  might 
make  his  mighty  power  to  be 
known. 

9  He  rebuked  the  Red  sea  also, 
and  it  v/as  dried  up :  so  he  led 
them  through  the  depths,  as 
through  the  wilderness. 


L    Hallelu-Yah. 

Give  thanks  to  the   Lord,   for 

He  is  good. 
For    everlasting    is    His    love. 

2.  Who    can    declare    the    might 

of    the    Lord, 
Make  known  all  His  praise? 

3.  Happy  they  that  keep  justice, 
That    do    righteousness    at    all 

times. 

4.  Remember    us,    Lord,    in    the 

favor  of  Thy  people, 
Visit    us    with    Thy    salvation ; 

5.  That    we    may    see    the    pros- 

perity   of    Thy    chosen. 
Rejoice    in    the    joy    of    Thy 

nation, 
Glory  with  Thine  inheritance. 

6.  We     have     sinned     with     our 

fathers. 
Been  guilty,  done  evil. 

7.  Our   fathers   in    Egypt   under- 

stood   not    Thy    wonders. 
Remembered         not         Thine 

abundant    mercies. 
But    rebelled    at    the    Sea    of 

Sedge. 

8.  And   He   saved   them   for  His 

name's  sake, 
To    make    known    His    might. 

9.  And    He   rebuked   the    Sea   of 

Sedge,   and  it  was   dry. 
And  He  brought  them  through 
the    deep    as    a    wilderness; 


398 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


10  And  he  saved  them  from  the 
hand  of  him  that  hated  them,  and 
redeemed  them  from  the  hand  of 
the    enemy. 

11  And  the  waters  covered  their 
enemies:  there  was  not  one  of 
them  left. 

12  Then  believed  they  his  word; 
they   sang  his  praise. 

13  They  soon  forgat  his  works; 
they    waited    not    for    his    counsel: 

14  But  lusted  exceedingly  in  the 
wilderness,  and  tempted  God  in 
the  desert. 

15  And  he  gave  them  their  re- 
quest; but  sent  leanness  into 
their  soul. 

16  They  envied  Moses  also  in 
the  camp,  a7id  Aaron  the  saint  of 
the    Lord. 

17  The  earth  opened  and  swal- 
lowed up  Dathan,  and  covered  the 
company    of    Abiram. 

18  And  a  fire  was  kindled  in 
their  company;  the  flame  burned 
up   the  wicked. 

\^  "^^^y.^iade  a  calf  in  Horeb, 
and  worshipped  the  molten  image. 

20  Thus  they  changed  their 
glory  into  the  simihtude  of  an  ox 
that   eateth   grass. 

21  They  forgat  God  their 
saviour  which  had  done  great 
things   in    Egypt; 

22  Wondrous  works  in  the  land 
ot  Ham,  and  terrible  things  by  the 
Ked    sea. 

23  Therefore  he  said  that  he 
would  destroy  them,  had  not 
Moses  his  chosen  stood  before  him 
in  the  breach,  to  turn  away  his 
wrath,  lest  he  should  destroy  them. 

24  Yea,  they  despised  the  pleas- 
ant land,  they  believed  not  his 
word : 

25  But  murmured  in  their  tents 
a«rf  hearkened  not  unto  the  voice 
01    the   Lord. 


24. 


25. 


10.     And     saved     them     from     the 

hand   of  the  hater. 
And  redeemed  them  from  the 

hand   of   the   foe; 
And  the  waters  covered  their 

oppressors, 
Not   one   of   them   was   left. 
So  they  believed  in  His  work, 
And  sang  His  praise. 

Speedily      they      forgat      His 

works, 
They     waited     not     on      His 

counsel. 
And    they    lusted    sore    in    the 

wilderness, 
And      tempted      God     in     the 

desert. 

And  He  gave  them  their  de- 
sire. 

And  sent  leanness  on  them. 

And  they  envied  Moses  in  the 
camp, 

Aaron,  the  holy  of  the  Lord 

Earth  openeth  and  swallowed 
Dathan, 

And  covered  the  company  of 
Abiram ; 

And  fire  burned  in  their  com- 
pany. 

Flame  consumeth  the  wicked. 

They   make   a   calf   in    Horeb, 
And      worshipped      a      molten 

image ; 
And  they  exchange  their  glory 
^or    the    likeness    of    an    ox 

eating  grass. 
They     forgat     their    deliverer, 
Ihat  wrought  great  things  in 

Egypt, 
Wonders  in  the  land  of  Ham, 
Terrors  at  the   Sea  of   Sedge. 
And    He    spake    to    blot    them 

out. 

Had  not  Moses,  His  chosen, 
stood  in  the  breach  before 
Him, 

To  turn  back  His  wrath  from 
destroying. 

And  they   despised   a  pleasant 

land, 
They  believed   not   His  word; 
And    they   murmured    in    their 

tents. 

They  heard  not  the  voice  of 
the  Lord. 


11. 

12. 
13. 


14. 

15. 
16. 
17. 

18. 

19. 
20. 
21. 

22. 

23. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


399 


26  Therefore  he  Hfted  up  his 
hand  against  them,  to  overthrow 
them   in    the   wilderness : 

27  To  overthrow  their  seed  also 
among  the  nations,  and  to  scatter 
them  in  the  lands. 

28  They  joined  themselves  also 
unto  Baal-peor,  and  ate  the  sacri- 
fices of  the  dead. 

29  Thus  they  provoked  him  to 
anger  with  their  inventions :  and 
the   plague  brake   in  upon   them. 

30  Then  stood  up  Phinehas,  and 
executed  judgment:  and  so  the 
plague  was  stayed. 

31  And  that  was  counted  unto 
him  for  righteousness  unto  all 
generations    for    evermore. 

32  They  angered  him  also  at  the 
waters  of  strife,  so  that  it  went 
ill  with  Moses  for  their  sakes : 

33  Because  they  provoked  his 
spirit,  so  that  he  spake  unadvisedly 
with  his  lips. 

34  They  did  not  destroy  the 
nations,  concerning  whom  the  Lord 
commanded   them : 

35  But  were  mingled  among  the 
heathen,    and   learned   their   works. 

36  And  they  served  their  idols: 
which   were   a   snare   unto   them. 

37  Yea,  they  sacrificed  their  sons 
and  their  daughters  unto  devils, 

38  And  shed  innocent  blood, 
even  the  blood  of  their  sons  and 
of  their  daughters,  whom  they 
sacrificed  unto  the  idols  of 
Canaan:  and  the  land  was  polluted 
with  blood. 

39  Thus  were  they  defiled  with 
their  own  works,  and  went  a 
whoring  with  their  own  inventions. 

40  Therefore  was  the  wrath  of 
the  Lord  kindled  against  his  peo- 
ple, insomuch  that  he  abhorred 
his   own  inheritance. 


26.  And  He  sware  unto  them 

To    make    them     fall    in    the 
wilderness, 

27.  And    to    make   their    seed    fall 

among  the   nations. 
And    to    scatter    them    in    the 
lands. 

28.  And    they    joined    themselves 

to   Baal-Peor, 
And     ate     sacrifices     of     the 
dead ; 

29.  And    they    provoked    by    their 

doings. 
And    there    brake    out    among 
them    plague ; 

30.  And    Phinehas    arose    and    in- 

terposed, 
And    the    plague    was    stayed: 

31.  And   it   was    reckoned   to   him 

for  righteousness 
To    generation    after    genera- 
tion for  ever. 

32.  And    they   provoked   to    wrath 

at   the   waters   of    Strife, 
And    it    went    ill    with    Moses 
because  of   them. 

33.  For  they  embittered  his  spirit, 
And   he   cursed   with  his   lips. 

34.  They   destroyed   not   the   peo- 

ples. 
As  the  Lord  bade  them ; 

35.  And    they    mingled    with    the 

nations, 
And   learned   their   doings; 

36.  And    they    served    their    idols. 
And   they  became   a   snare   to 

them; 

37.  And  they  sacrificed  their  sons 

(and  their  daughters)  to 
demons, 

38.  (And      they      shed      innocent 

blood,  the  blood  of  their  sons 
and  their  daughters  whom 
they  sacrificed  to  the  idols  of 
Canaan.) 

39.  And     they     were     defiled     by 

their  works. 
And  went  a  whoring  in  their 
doings. 

40.  And    the    wrath    of    the    Lord 
glowed   against    His   people. 

And     He     abhorred     His    in- 
heritance, 


400 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


41  And   he   gave   them   into    the     41. 
hand    of    the    heathen ;    and    they 
that  hated   them   ruled  over  them. 


42  Their  enemies  also  oppressed 
them,  and  they  were  brought  into 
subjection    under    their    hand. 

43  Many  times  did  he  deliver 
them;  but  they  provoked  hi)n  with 
their  counsel,  and  were  brought 
low    for    their    iniquity. 

44  Nevertheless  he  ret^arded  their 
affliction,  when  he  heard  their  cry : 

45  And  he  remembered  for  them 
his  covenant,  and  repented  accord- 
ing to  the  multitude  of  his  mercies. 

46  He  made  them  also  to  be 
pitied  of  all  those  that  carried 
them  captives. 

47  Save  us,  O  Lord  our  God, 
and  gather  us  from  among  the 
heathen,  to  give  thanks  unto  thy 
holy  name,  and  to  triumph  in  thy 
praise. 


42. 


43. 


44. 
45. 

46. 

»   ' 

47. 


48. 


And  gave  them  into  the  hand 
of    the    nations. 

And  their  haters  ruled  over 
them. 

And  their  enemies  oppressed 
them; 

And  they  were  humbled  un- 
der their  hand. 

Many     the     times     that     He 

rescueth  them ; 
But      they      chose      rebellious 

counsel. 
And  are  brought  low  in  their 

guilt. 
Yet   He  beheld   their   distress, 
When  He  heard  their  cry ; 
And      He      remembered      for 

them    His    covenant. 
And    was    merciful    after    His 

abundant   kindness, 
And   gave   them   compassion 
Before    all    their    captors. 

Save  us.  Lord  our  God, 

And  gather  us  from  the  nations, 

To   give   thanks    to    Thy   holy 

name, 
To  glory   in   Thy  praise. 

Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel, 

From  everlasting  and  to  ever- 
lasting, (and  all  the  people 
said)  Amen.     (Hallelu-Yah.) 


Rebellious  Israel 

This  Psalm  opens  with  the  hallel,  or  praise  cry,  and  the  ritual 
cry  of  the  thank  offering  sacrifice  (cf.  100  °),  which  is  followed 
by  a  stanza  of  praise  to  God  and  prayer  for  the  prosperity  of  His 
people  (2-5).  Of  this  verses  1  and  2  make  the  attachment  to 
the  preceding  Psalms,  which  have  told  the  untellable  wonders 
and  mercies  of  God,  wrought  for  Israel  that  it  might  keep  His 
statutes.  Verses  4,  5  look  forward  to  the  future,  God's  favor 
toward  His  people,  their  salvation,  and  their  restoration  to 
national  strength  and  prosperity,  which  it  was  the  object  of  this 
ritual  to  attain.  The  Hebrew  text  gives  the  prayer  in  the  singu- 
lar, the  Greek  in  the  plural.  I  have  followed  the  Greek  as  more 
consonant  with  the  rest  of  the  Psalm.  Then  follows  in  the 
form  of  a  confession  of  sins  the  story  of  God's  dealing  with  His 
people.   His   deliverances   and   wonders   and   their  hardness   of 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  401 

heart  and  sinful  rebelliousness,  from  the  deliverance  from  Egypt 
to  the  deliverance  from  the  Babylonian  captivity  (6-46),  some- 
what overlapping  in  the  earlier  part  Ps.  105.  It  is  a  succession 
of  deliverances  and  rebellions  in  the  spirit  and  after  the  method 
of  the  Deuteronomist  (cf.  Dt.  9  «).  First,  rebellion  at  the  Red 
Sea,  in  spite  of  all  that  God  had  already  done  for  them  in  Egypt 
and  God's  new  interposition  there  (6-12).  Sea  of  Sedge  (7),  or 
reeds,  name  applied  by  the  Hebrews  to  gulfs  at  the  head  of  the 
Red  Sea,  as  Suez  and  Akaba.  The  name  Red  Sea  is  taken  from 
the  Greek.  This  stanza  depends  on  the  narrative  in  Ex.  14,  15, 
using  also  Ps.  7^,  105.  Stanza  2  (13-19)  contains  the  quail  temp- 
tation (Num.  11,  cf.  also  Ps.  78),  and  the  incident  of  Dathan  and 
Abiram  (Num.  16).  Leanness  (15),  text  uncertain;  it  clearly  re- 
fers to  the  disaster  which  befell  them  after  feeding  on  the  quails,  as 
in  Num.  11  and  Ps.  78  "^'^'^.  Why  the  Dathan  and  Abiram  incident 
should  be  combined  with  this  is  not  clear.  Holv  of  the  Lord  (16), 
cf.  Ex.  28  ^\  Stanza  3  (19-23)  is  the  sin  of  the  golden  calf 
(Ex.  32,  Dt.  9).  Stanza  4  (24-27)  is  the  refusal  to  enter  Canaan 
of  Num.  14  and  Dt.  1,  but  verse  27  develops  the  punishment 
after  Dt.  4.  Stanza  5  (28-31)  is  the  sin  of  Baal-Peor  as  nar- 
rated in  Num.  25  (cf.  also  Dt.  4).  Interposed  (30)  ;  the  Hebrew 
word  here  used  means  elsewhere  intercede,  pray.  Sacrifices  of 
the  dead  (28),  possibly  with  a  reference  to  Num.  25  ^'  °,  the 
consequences  of  these  sacrifices  in  death.  Others  think  it  is  a 
way  of  expressing  a  disbelief  in  Baal-Peor  and  such  false  gods 
as  dead  ones.  Stanza  6  (32-33),  very  short  and  perhaps  incom- 
plete, taken  from  Num.  20,  but  in  neither  case  is  the  sin  of 
Moses  made  clear.  Stanza  7(34-42)  is  a  summation  of  the 
history  of  Israel  as  given  in  Judges.  For  34  cf.  Ex.  23  ^-'  ^', 
34 12  ff.  Dt.  7  2,  Ju.  1  "•  27. 29 .  also  Dt.  4.  Vv.  37,  38,  the 
bracketed  portion  seems  to  be  a  prose  gloss  explaining  more  fully 
the  iniquity  of  the  child  sacrifices.  39,  the  language  so  common 
in  the  prophets  from  Hosea  on.  Stanza  7  (43-46)  summarizes 
in  similar  fashion  their  history  from  the  time  of  the  Judges 
through  the  Captivity,  when  they  found  compassion  and  were 
allowed  to  return  to  their,  own  land.  Whenever  they  repented 
and  turned  to  Him  with  their  cry  of  distress  He  heard  them, 
remembering  His  covenant.  Then  follows  a  prayer  (47)  for  the 
further  deliverance  of  Israel,  that  they  may  be  gathered  out  of 
all  the  countries  where  they  are  scattered,  to  praise  the  Lord 
in  His  Temple  service,  which  prepares  the  way  for  107,  the  clos- 
ing Psalm  of  this  liturgy. 


402 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


Verse  48  is  the  doxology  of  the  whole  book  (Cf  41  ^*).  For 
its  position  here  and  the  book  division  at  this  point  cf.  Introduc- 
tion.  The  Hallelu-Yah  belongs  (cf.  Greek  translation)  with  107. 

Doxology 

48  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel  from  everlasting  to  ever- 
lasting: and  let  all  the  people  say, 
Amen.     Praise  ye  the   Lord. 

BOOK  V. 


CVII 


GIVE     thanks     unto     the     Lord, 
for  he  is  good :  for  his  mercy 
endureth   for  ever. 

2  Let  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord 
say  so,  vvhom  he  hath  redeemed 
from  the  hand  of  the  enemy; 

3  And  gathered  them  out  of  the 
lands,  from  the  east,  and  from  the 
west,  from  the  north,  and  from 
the  south. 

4  They  wandered  in  the  wilder- 
ness in  a  solitary  way ;  they 
found  no  city  to  dwell  in. 

5  Hungry  and  thirsty,  their  soul 
fainted  in  them. 

6  Then  they  cried  unto  the  Lord 
in  their  trouble,  and  he  delivered 
them  out  of  their  distresses. 

7  And  he  led  them  forth  by  the 
right  way,  that  they  might  go  to 
a  city  of  habitation. 

8  Oh  that  men  would  praise  the 
Lord  for  his  goodness,  and  for  his 
wonderful  works  to  the  children 
of    men! 

9  For  he  satisfieth  the  longing 
soul,  and  filleth  the  hungry  soul 
with   goodness. 

10  Such  as  sit  in  darkness  and 
in  the  shadow  of  death,  being 
bound   in   affliction  and  iron ; 

11  Because  they  rebelled  against 
the  words  of  God,  and  contemned 
the  counsel  of  the  Most   High: 

12  Therefore  he  brought  down 
their  heart  with  labour;  they  fell 
down,  and  there  was  none  to  help. 


1. 


4. 


5. 


6. 


8. 


10. 


11. 


Give  thanks   to   the   Lord,   for 

He  is  good. 
For  everlasting  is  His  love; 
Let  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord 

say, 
Whom  He  redeemed  from  the 

hand   of   the   foe. 
And     gathered     them    out    of 

the  lands, 
From    east    and     from    west, 

from  north  and  from  south. 

They  strayed  in  the  water- 
less wilderness, 

The  way  to  the  city  of  abode 
they    found    not. 

Hungry,  yea  thirsty, 

Their  soul  within  them  faint- 
eth. 

(Chorus.)  So  they  cried  to 
the  Lord  in  their  strait; 

From  their  distress  He  res- 
cueth   them. 

And      He     led     them     by     a 

straight    way, 
To   go    to   the   city   of    abode. 
(Chorus.)       Let    them     thank 

the   Lord   for  His   love, 
And   His  wonders   toward  the 

sons  of  men. 

For    He    satisfied    the    thirsty 

soul ; 
And  the  hungry  soul  He  filled 

with  good. 

Dwellers     in     darkness     and 

death  shade, 
Bondmen      of 

iron — 
Because     they 

words. 
Despised    the    counsel    of 

Highest, 


misery  and 
defied  God's 
the 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


403 


13  Then  they  cried  unto  the 
Lord  in  their  trouble,  and  he  saved 
them    out    of    their    distresses. 

14  He  brought  them  out  of 
darkness  and  the  shadow  of 
death,  and  brake  their  bands  in 
sunder. 

15  Oh  that  men  would  praise  the 
Lord  /or  his  goodness,  and  for  his 
wonderful  works  to  the  children 
of   men! 

16  For  he  hath  broken  the  gates 
of  brass,  and  cut  the  bars  of  iron 
in  sunder. 

17  Fools,  because  of  their  trans- 
gression, and  because  of  their  in- 
iquities, are  afflicted. 

18  Their  soul  abhorreth  all  man- 
ner of  meat;  and  they  draw  near 
unto    the   gates    of    death. 

19  Then  they  cry  unto  the  Lord 
in  their  trouble,  and  he  saveth 
them    out    of    their    distresses. 

20  He  sent  his  word,  and  healed 
them,  and  delivered  them  from 
their   destructions. 

21  Oh  that  men  would  praise 
the  Lord  for  his  goodness,  and  for 
his  wonderful  works  to  the  chil- 
dren of  men  1 

22  And  let  them  sacrifice  the 
sacrifices  of  thanksgiving,  and  de- 
clare   his    works    with    rejoicing. 

23  They  that  go  down  to  the 
sea  in  ships,  that  do  business  in 
great   waters ; 

24  These  see  the  works  of  the 
Lord,  and  his  wonders  in  the  deep. 

25  For  he  commandeth,  and 
raiseth  the  stormy  wind,  which 
lifteth  up  the  waves  thereof. 


12.  He    bowed    their    heart    with 

trouble ; 
They    stumbled,   none   helping. 

13.  (Chorus.)      So    they   cried    to 

the  Lord  in  their  strait; 
From  their  distress  He  saveth 
them. 

14.  He  bringeth  them  forth   from 

darkness  and   shadow ; 
And  their  fetters  He  breaketh. 

15.  (Chorus.)       Let    them    thank 

the   Lord   for   His  love, 
And  His  wonders  toward  the 
sons  of  men. 

16.  For     He     shattered    gates    of 

bronze ; 
And    bars    of    iron    He    sun- 
dered. 

17.  Fools    because    of    their    tres- 

pass. 
And    for    their    iniquities    are 
afflicted  ; 

18.  All  food  their  soul  abhorreth, 
And      they      approached      the 

doors   of   death. 

10.     (Chorus.)      So    they    cried    to 
the   Lord  in  their  strait ; 
From  their  distress  he  saveth 
them. 

20.  He     sendeth     His     word     and 

healeth   them. 
And     delivereth     them     from 
their    destruction. 

21.  (Chorus.)       Let    them    thank 

the  Lord  for  His  love, 
And  His  wonders  toward  the 
sons    of    men. 

22.  And     let     them     offer     thank 

offerings. 
And   recount  His   works   with 
song. 

23.  They    that    go    down    to    the 

sea  in  ships. 
That     do     business     on     great 
waters, 

24.  These    have    seen     works    of 

the  Lord, 
And  his  wonders  in  the  deep. 

25.  How     He     spake    and     raised 

the    storm   wind ; 
Which   Hfted   up   its   waves. 


404 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


26  They  mount  up  to  the  heaven, 
they  go  down  again  to  the  depths : 
their  soul  is  melted  because  of 
trouble. 

27  They  reel  to  and  fro,  and 
stagger  like  a  drunken  man,  and 
are  at  their  wit's  end. 

28  Then  they  cry  unto  the  Lord 
in  their  trouble,  and  he  bringeth 
them    out    of    their    distresses. 

29  He  maketh  the  storm  a  calm, 
so  that  the  waves  thereof  are  still. 

30  Then  are  they  glad  because 
they  be  quiet ;  so  he  bringeth  them 
unto    their    desired    haven. 

31  Oh  that  men  would  praise  the 
Lord  for  his  goodness,  and  for  his 
wonderful  works  to  the  children 
of    men  1 

32  Let  them  exalt  him  also  in 
the  congregation  of  the  people, 
and    praise    him    in    the    assembly 

33  He  turneth  rivers  into  a 
wilderness,  and  the  watersprings 
into   dry  ground ; 

34  A  fruitful  land  into  barren- 
ness, for  the  wickedness  of  them 
that  dwell  therein, 

35  He  turneth  the  wilderness 
into  a  standing  water,  and  dry 
ground    into    watersprings. 

36  And  there  he  maketh  the 
hungry  to  dwell,  that  they  may 
prepare  a  city   for  habitation ; 

37  And  sow  the  fields,  and  plant 
vineyards,  which  may  yield  fruits 
of  increase. 

38  He  blesseth  them  also,  so  that 
they  are  multiplied  greatly;  and 
suffereth  not  their  cattle  to  de- 
crease. 

39  Again,  they  are  minished  and 
brought  low  through  oppression, 
afifliction,  and  sorrow. 


26.  They    mount    to    heaven,    they 

go   down  to   the  depths ; 
Their     soul     melteth     through 
trouble. 

27.  They     reel     and     stagger    like 

a    drunkard ; 
All  their  wit  is  swallowed  up. 

28.  (Chorus.)      So    they    cried    to 

the  Lord  in  their  strait; 
And  out  of  their  distress  He 
bringeth    them. 

29.  He  maketh  the  storm  a  calm ; 
And   its    waves    were   hushed; 

30.  And  they  were  glad  that  they 

are    still ; 
And     He     brought     them     to 
their  wished-for  haven. 

31.  (Chorus.)       Let     them    thank 

the   Lord   for  His   love, 
And  His  wonders  toward  the 
sons  of   men ; 

32.  Exalt  Him  in  the  meeting  of 

the   people, 
And    in    the    session    of    the 
elders   praise    Him. 

33.  He    maketh    rivers    a    wilder- 

ness, 
And   springs  of   water  thirsty 
ground, 

34.  A    fruitful   land   a   salt   waste. 
For    the    wickedness    of    them 

that   dwell   there. 

35.  He      maketh      a      wilderness 

water-pools. 
Dry  ground  springs  of  water; 

36.  And     He     made     the     hungry 

dwell  there. 
And    prepared    him    the    city 
of    abode. 

37.  And    they    sowed    fields    and 

planted  vineyards, 

And    got  them    fruits    of    in- 
crease. 

38.  And     He  blessed     them    that 

they    greatly    increased ; 
And    their   cattle   He    let   not 
diminish. 

39.  Then  were  they  minished  and 

humbled. 
Through    oppression,    trouble, 
and   sorrow." 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


405 


40  He  poureth  contempt  upon 
princes,  and  causeth  them  to 
wander  in  the  wilderness,  where 
there  is  no  way. 

41  Yet  setteth  he  the  poor  on 
high  from  affliction,  and  maketh 
him  families  like  a  flock. 

42  The  righteous  shall  see  it, 
and  rejoice:  and  all  iniquity  shall 
stop  her  mouth. 

43  Whoso  is  wise,  and  will  ob- 
serve these  things,  even  they 
shall  understand  the  lovingkind- 
ness   of   the   Lord. 

Hallelu-Yah. 


40.  He     poured     contempt     upon 

princes; 
And    made    them    wander    in 
pathless  wastes. 

41.  But    exalted    the    needy    from 

affliction, 
And    made    him    families    like 
a    flock. 

42.  Let    the    upright    see    and    be 

glad ; 
And    all    unrighteousness    stop 
her   mouth. 

43.  Who     is    wise    that    he     may 

heed  this, 
And    perceive    the   mercies    of 
the   Lord  ? 


Return  of  the  Pilgrims 

The  Psalm  which  closes  this  liturgy,  the  most  elaborate  in 
metrical  composition  in  the  entire  Psalter,  is  a  thank  offering 
hymn,  based  on  the  old  ritual  thank  offering  cry  (cf.  Ps.  100), 
preceded    by    the    universal    sacrificial    cry    Hallelu-Yah    (1), 
Taking  up  106  *''  the  Pilgrims,  gathered  at  Jerusalem  from  east 
and  west,  north  and  south,  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord   (78*^, 
106^°),    are    bidden    to    offer    thank    offerings    and    repeat    the 
thank  offering  cry   (2,  3),    Then  in  four  stanzas  the  pilgrims 
from  the  four  quarters  are  welcomed  and  admonished.     First 
(4-9)^   those   that   come   from   Egypt  through   the   inhospitable 
desert,  as  did  the  Israelites  of  old,  seeking  the  city  of  abode, 
their   national    abode   and   the   earthly   dwelling   place    of    God 
(4,    7,    36),    which    is    Jerusalem.      These    who    hungered    and 
thirsted   are   now    satisfied    and   filled    in   the    Temple   of    that 
city  of  abode.     Next   (10-16),  those  that  come  from  the  east, 
from  the  captivity  of   Babylon;   and   we  have  the   words   and 
phrases    so    familiar   in   Deutero-Isaiah    (cf .    10   and    Is.    42  ^ ; 
with   which    also   the    Psalmist    combines    a   use    of    Job    36  ^ ; 
16   and   Is.    45^-2).      The   third    stanza    (17-22)    is    for   those 
that  come  from  the  north,  the  Israelites,  the  foolish  ones   (cf. 
Ecc.  50  ^^,  "that  foolish  people  that  dwelleth  in  Sichem"),  who 
had    been    worshippers    of    the    calves,    and    been    carried    off 
to  the  Khabor  and  Gozan,  and  who,  mixed  with  foreign  peoples, 
still  continued  an  objectionable  worship  in  Samaria  (2  K.  17); 
but  whom  the  prophets  Isaiah,  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel  looked  to 
see  restored,  a  united  Israel,  to  the  true  kingdom  of  David  and 


406  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

the  true  worship  at  Jerusalem;  these  are  welcomed,  born  again 
out  of  their  destruction,  and  admonished  to  return  to  the  right 
ritual  of  Yahaweh  (22).  Cf.  17  and  Is.  65  ''•  ^  18  and  Job.  33 
20-22^  Vv.  17-20  are  used  in  the  Yom  Kippur  service.  The 
fourth  stanza  (23-32)  is  those  that  come  from  the  west,  from 
Cyprus,  and  the  isles,  and  the  coasts  of  Asia  Minor.  That  the  Dis- 
persion had  found  its  way  into  these  regions  by  the  close  of  the 
exile  is  indicated  by  Is.  42  ^°  (cf.  also  Jon.).  These  are  simply 
bidden  in  old  Psalm  language  to  take  their  part  in  worship  in  the 
great  assembly  (22  ^^'  *^,  35  ^^).  Israel  is  beginning  to  come  into 
contact  with  seafaring,  but  it  is  as  yet  an  awesome  experience. 

Then  follows  a  final  praise  song  recounting  God's  marvels, 
and  at  the  same  time  sketching  Israel's  history,  in  language 
frequently  reminiscent  of  Deutero-Isaiah  (cf.  33  and  Is.  42  ^', 
50  2;  35  and  Is.  41  ^«;  36,  37  and  Is.  65^1).  The  Psalmist 
seems  also,  however,  to  have  in  mind  other  conditions,  so 
vv.  33,  34  suggest  the  story  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  (Gen. 
18-20)  and  the  unnatural  desolation  of  the  lower  Jordan, 
which  as  lake  and  river  land  should  naturally  be  fertile,  in 
contrast  with  the  prosperity  of  Jerusalem,  on  the  barren  hills 
of  Judea,  but  made  fertile  by  its  pools  and  fountains,  because 
it  is  the  place  in  which  God  blessed  them  (35-38).  In  the 
day  that  they  were  afflicted,  he  did,  it  is  true,  overwhelm 
their  princes,  who  had  failed  them  so  signally,  but  He  did 
not  forget  His  people,  the  needy  ones,  whom  He  gathered 
from  all  the  world  (39-41).  40,  cf.  Job  12 -i- -^  41,  cf. 
1  Sam.  2  ^,  Job  21  ^^.  The  whole  closes  with  a  summons 
to  the  upright,  in  the  spirit  of  the  Wisdom  literature,  to  see 
in  this  great  feast  of  pilgrims  returned  from  all  quarters  the 
fulfilment  of  God's  word  of  love,  and  to  understand  the  mean- 
ing of  God's  dealing  with  His  people.    42,  cf.  Job.  22  ^^,  5  ^^. 

CVIII 

This  Psalm,  headed  A  Song,  A  Psalm  of  David,  is  com- 
posed of  the  concluding  sections  of  two  Psalms  out  of  the 
Prayers  of  David:  verses  1-5  =  57  '''^ :  6-13  =  60  ^-'- ;  which 
see  for  text.  As  they  are  cited  without  change,  we  have  here 
an  Elohistic  Psalm  in  a  Yahawistic  collection.  Incidentally  the 
combination  of  these  Psalms  from  the  Prayers  of  David  to 
form  one  liturgy  is  evidence,  if  further  evidence  were  needed, 
of  the  existence  at  the  time  of  this  composition  of   that   col- 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


407 


lection  as  a  Psalter.  The  combination  of  sections  of  these 
two  Psalms  has  produced  a  liturgy  somewhat  different  in 
character  from  either  of  the  original  Psalms.  The  section 
taken  from  57,  which  is  itself  a  penitential,  is  the  closing 
part  only,  the  thanksgiving  for  deliverance  and  for  prayer  an- 
swered. The  section  taken  from  60  is  the  prayer  for  victory 
over  Edom.  We  have  in  the  post-exilic  period  frequent  out- 
bursts against  Edom,  not  only  for  its  conduct  toward  the 
Jews  at  the  time  of  the  capture  of  Jerusalem  and  during  the 
Captivity,  but  also  because  of  continued  hostilities.  Our  pres- 
ent Psalm  would  seem  to  have  been  a  liturgy  formed  for  some 
such  occasion  as  lay  behind  the  prophecy  of  Is.  63  ^"®. 

This    Psalm    was    much   used   by    Kruger   in   his   despatches 
and  addresses. 

CIX 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


HOLD  not  thy  peace,  O  God  of 
my   praise ; 

2  For  the  mouth  of  the  wicked 
and  the  mouth  of  the  deceitful  are 
opened  against  me :  they  have 
spoken  against  me  with  a  lying 
tongue. 

3  They  compassed  me  about 
also  with  words  of  hatred ;  and 
fought  against  me  without  a 
cause. 

4  For  my  love  they  are  my 
adversaries :  but  I  give  myself  unto 
prayer. 

5  And  they  have  rewarded  me 
evil  for  good,  and  hatred  for  my 
love. 

6  Set  thou  a  wicked  man  over 
him :  and  let  Satan  stand  at  his 
right  hand. 

7  When  he  shall  be  judged,  let 
him  be  condemned :  and  let  his 
prayer  become  sin. 

8  Let  his  days  be  few ;  and  let 
another   take  his   office. 

9  Let  his  children  be  fatherless, 
and  his  wife  a  widow. 

10  Let  his  children  be  continually 
vagabonds,  and  beg:  let  them  seek 
their  bread  also  out  of  their 
desolate    places. 

11  Let  the  extortioner  catch  all 
that  he  hath;  and  let  the  strangers 
spoil  his  labour. 


\.    God  of  my  praise,  be  not  still. 

2.  For    a    mouth    of    evil    and    a 

mouth    of    deceit    they   have 
opened  upon  me. 
They  have  spoken  against  me 
with   lying   tongue ; 

3.  And  words  of  hate  have  sur- 

rounded me. 
And     they     have     fought     me 
without    cause. 

4.  For    my    love    they    play    the 

satan   to   me ; 
And   I — (a   prayer). 

5.  (And   they  put   upon   me   evil 

for  good, 
And  hatred   for  my  love.) 

6.  Set    over   him    a   godless    one, 
And   let  a   satan   stand  at  his 

right    hand. 

7.  When  he  is   tried,  be  he  con- 

demned. 
And  let  his  prayer  become  sin. 

8.  Be    his    days    very    few ; 
His   office   let   another   take. 

9.  Be    his    children    orphans, 
And  his  wife  a  widow; 

10.  And     be     his    children     vaga- 

bonds. 
Searching    and    seeking    from 
their   ruins. 

11.  Let    a   creditor    snatch    all   he 

hath. 
And   strangers   make   spoil  of 
his   toil 


408 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


12  Let  there  be  none  to  extend 
mercy  unto  him :  neither  let  there 
be  any  to  favour  his  fatherless 
children. 

13  Let  his  posterity  be  cut  off; 
and  in  the  generation  following  let 
their  name  be  blotted  out. 

14  Let  the  iniquity  of  his  fathers 
be  remembered  with  the  Lord;  and 
let  not  the  sin  of  his  mother  be 
blotted    out. 

15  Let  them  be  before  the  Lord 
continually,  that  he  may  cut  off 
the  memory  of  them  from  the 
earth. 

16  Because  that  he  remembered 
not  to  shew  mercy,  but  persecuted 
the  poor  and  needy  man,  that  he 
might  even  slay  the  broken  in 
heart. 

17  As  he  loved  cursing,  so  let 
it  come  unto  him :  as  he  delighted 
not  in  blessing,  so  let  it  be  far 
from   him. 

18  As  he  clothed  himself  with 
cursing  like  as  with  his  garment, 
so  let  it  come  into  his  bowels 
like  water,  and  like  oil  into  his 
bones. 

19  Let  it  be  unto  him  as  the 
garment  which  covereth  him,  and 
for  a  girdle  wherewith  he  is 
girded  continually. 

20  Let  this  be  the  reward  of 
mine  adversaries  from  the  Lord, 
and  of  them  that  speak  evil  against 
my  soul. 

21  But  do  thou  for  me,  O  God 
the  Lord,  for  thy  name's  sake : 
because  thy  mercy  is  good,  deliver 
thou  me. 

22  For  I  am  poor  and  needy, 
and  my  heart  is  wounded  within  me. 

23  I  am  gone  like  the  shadow 
when  it  declineth :  I  am  tossed  up 
and  down  as  the  locust. 

24  My  knees  are  weak  through 
fasting;  and  my  flesh  faileth  of 
fatness. 

25  I  became  also  a  reproach  unto 
them :  when  they  looked  upon  me 
they    shaked    their   heads. 

26  Help  me,  O  Lord  my  God : 
O  save  me  according  to  thy  mercy : 

27  That  they  may  know  that 
this  is  thy  hand;  that  thou,  Lord, 
hast  done  it. 


12.  Be    there    none    to    still    show 

him  kindness. 
And    be    there    none    to    have 
pity    on    his    orphans. 

13.  Let    his    posterity    be    cut    off, 
In    the    next    generation    their 

name  be   blotted   out. 

14.  Because    he    remembered    not 

to    show    kindness, 
But   persecuted   the   poor,   the 

needy, 
And    the    wounded    of    heart 

to  kill  him. 

17.  As  he  loved  the  curse,  so  let 

it  come  to  him ; 
As    he    loved    not    blesing,    so 
be  it  far  from  him. 

18.  As    he    clothed    himself    with 

the  curse   like   a   robe. 
Let    it    enter    like    water    into 

his  belly. 
And  like  oil  into  his  bones. 

19.  Be    it    to    him    as    a    garment 

enwrapping    him, 
And    the    belt    that    girdeth    it 
ever. 

20.  Be    this    the     reward    of    my 

satans    from    the    Lord, 
And    of    those    that    speak    ill 
against   me. 

21.  And    do    Thou,    Lord    (Lord) 

do    with    me    according    to 
Thy   name ; 
Since   Thy  love   is   bounteous, 
rescue   me. 

22.  For  poor  and  needy  am   I, 
And     my    heart     is     wounded 

within  me. 

23.  Like    a    shadow    as    it    length- 

eneth    I   go, 
I  am  shaken  out  like  a  locust. 

24.  My  knees  totter  from  fasting, 
And    my    flesh    hath    lost    its 

oil. 

25.  And    I    am    become    their    re- 

proach ; 
They     look,     they     wag    their 
head. 

26.  Help  me,  Lord,  mv  God, 
Save    me    after    Thy    love; 

27.  And    let    them    know    that    it 

is  Thine  hand, 
Thou,   Lord,  hast  done  it. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


409 


28  Let  them  curse,  but  bless 
thou:  when  they  arise,  let  them 
be  ashamed;  but  let  thy  servant 
rejoice. 

29  Let  mine  adversaries  be 
clothed  with  shame ;  and  let  them 
cover  themselves  v/ith  their  own 
confusion,    as    with    a    mantle. 

30  I  will  greatly  praise  the  Lord 
with  my  mouth ;  yea,  I  will  praise 
him    among    the    multitude. 

31  For  he  shall  stand  at  the 
right  hand  of  the  poor,  to  save 
him  from  those  that  condemn  his 
soul. 


28.  Though      they      curse,      bless 

Thou ; 
Let  my  foes  be  ashamed,  but 
Thy   servant   be   glad. 

29.  Let  my  satans  be  clothed  with 

confusion. 
And     be     wrapped     in     their 
shame  like  a  cloak. 

30.  I    vi'ill    greatly   give   thanks    to 

the    Lord    with    my    mouth, 
And    in    the    midst    of    multi- 
tudes  I   will   praise    Him ; 

31.  For  He   standeth  at  the   right 

hand   of  the  needy. 
To     save     from     them     that 
condemn   him   to   death. 


The  Great  Curse 

This  is  a  curse  against  the  satans  of  the  Jews,  i.  e.,  those 
who  oppose  them  toward  Yahaweh.  In  the  earher  psalmody 
the  heathen  worship  directed  against  Israel  was  countered  by 
similar  worship  directed  against  the  heathen  in  the  form  of 
curses,  the  curse  being  a  most  potent  weapon  to  bring  ven- 
geance on  any  adversary  or  evil  doer,  domestic  or  foreign 
(cf.  Jer.  18  "°'^,  Zech.  5).  With  the  perception  that  the  idols 
are  not  gods,  and  that  they  can  not  therefore  make  good  the 
curses  uttered  in  their  name,  but  with  a  continuing  sense  of 
the  value  of  the  curse  to  do  evil,  we  have  the  development 
of  the  idea  of  a  satan  or  adversary  embodying  as  it  were 
these  heathen  machinations  against  Israel  in  the  court  of 
Yahaweh  (cf.  Job  1,  Zech.  5).  The  adversaries  of  good  and 
righteous  Israel,  described  as  in  the  old  Psalms  as  the  poor 
and  needy,  whether  they  be  the  godless  without  or  the  ungodly 
within  bring  distress  and  calamity  on  Israel  by  their  charges, 
accusations,  machinations  and  curses,  with  which  they  play 
the  satan  against  him  in  the  assizes  of  Yahaweh.  Verses  1-S 
describe  their  doings,  verse  1  being  a  sort  of  caption,  a  half 
verse  in  which  God  is  summoned  to  hear  and  decide.  Verses 
6-20,  in  the  form  and  under  the  name  of  a  prayer,  is  the 
curse  directed  against  these  foes  of  pious  Israel.  Verses  21-25, 
in  the  form  of  an  appeal  for  help,  describes  the  miserable 
condition  of  the  Jews,  as  the  result  of  the  animosity  of  the 
surrounding  peoples,  and  apparently  also  some  among  them- 
selves who  are  allied  with  them.  Verses  26-29  continue  the 
appeal   for   help,   that   the  adversaries   may  have  no   influence 


410  THE  PS.^LMS  AS  LITURGIES 

In  God's   assizes,  but  their  curses  become  blessings   to   Israel,  I 

the   curse    falling   upon   themselves.      This    really   contains    the  ; 

assurance   of   favorable   answer,   and   the   Psalm   closes   with   a  j 
sacrificial  praise  cry   (30,  31). 

This    Psalm    is    similar    in    its    religious    ideas    to    Zechariah  | 

and  Job,  representing  a  condition  of  Jerusalem  and  the  Jews  I 

in   Palestine   very  similar   to   that  represented   in  the   book   of  '. 

Nehemiah.      It   is   the   acme   of    the   curse   in   Bible   literature,  , 
using    freely    the    older    imprecatory    literature,    such    as    Jer. 

13  20-23^  Ps.  9,  27,  38,  and  especially  Ps.  35  and  69.     Cf.   for  ■ 

instance  3  and  35  ^  69*:  4  and  35  ^^^  ^*,  69*^:  5  and  35  ^^ ;    14  ' 

and  69==»;  15  and  35^°,  69  2=';  21   and  69  ^«;  29  and  35  ==«.     It  ■ 

may  be  owing  to  this  dependence  on  early  Psalm  literature  that  ; 

this   Psalm   is   provided  with   a  pre-exilic  musical   heading,    of  ; 
the  director,  etc. 

God  of  7ny  praise  (1),  cf.  Dt.  \0^^.     The  text  of  verses  4  , 
and  5  is  very  perplexing.     A  .prayer  (4) ,  seems  to  be  a  heading  : 
for  verses  6  fT ;  and  5  seems  to  be  a  gloss  explanatory  of   or  ] 
expanding  4^.     For  this  verse  cf.  also  38  2°.     Godless  one   (6),  I 
this   represents   Yahaweh's   assizes,   as   in   Job    1    and  Zech.    3,  \ 
but  with  an  unrighteous  judge,  such  as  the  heathen  gods,  set  ' 
in  the  place  of  Yahaweh,  so  that  even  justice  should  be  denied  ^ 
them,  that  they  might  be  condemned  unheard  and  their  very  i 
prayer   tell   against  them    (7).     In   the    following   curse   every  ! 
possible  horror  is  piled  up,  and  there  are  some  indications  of  1 
growth,    as    though    succeeding    generations    of    Psalmists    had  j 
added  their  bit  here  and  there.     Verse  8  is  cited  in  Acts  1  ^°.  i 
This   looks   like   a  personal   reference   rather   than  a   national;  ] 
though    it    may    refer    to    the    particular    function    assigned    to  ' 
various  peoples  under  the  Persian  administration  of  the  coun- 
try   (cf.    Neh.).      V.    9   cf.    Lam.    5^.      10   represents    such   a 
condition  as  that  in  Jerusalem  after  its   destruction  by   Nebu- 
chadrezzar, with  the  very  Temple   in   which   they   sought  and  ; 
inquired    of    God    in    ruins,    and    the    people    wanderers     (Jer.  , 
40-42).     The  Psalmist  wishes  for  their  adversaries  such  things  I 
as  they  helped  to  bring  on  Jerusalem.     11,  cf.  Lam.  5^;    13  and  ; 
15,  cf.  9  ^  16,  cf.  37  ^*'  ''-.     Lord   (21),  is  a  late  gloss.     Thy 
name,  i.e.,  nature  or  character,  explained  in  second  verse  half 
23  ^,  i.  e.,  he,  Israel,  is  going  into  the  darkness  of  death.    23  ^,  the 
figure  of  the  second  verse  half,  shaken  out  like  a  locust  from  a  \ 
garment,  a  bed  or  the  like,  seems  so  inept  that  one  is  inclined  to  i 
question  the  text.     Thine  hand  (27)  ;  if  it  be  from  God's  hand,  , 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


411 


then  there  can  not  be  a  destruction ;  present  conditions  are  simply 
punitive,  and  God  will  turn  and  bless  in  answer  to  their  cry.  28, 
29;  from  these  it  is  clear  that  their  adversaries  are  thought  of  as 
using  curses  against  them  in  the  worship  of  their  false  gods,  as 
probably  also  in  magic  rites;  but  these  all  come  before  God, 
who  is  asked  to  give  blessings  in  their  stead.  30  suggests  a 
thank  offering.  31,  cf.  37^^.  The  figure  of  God's  assizes, 
where  the  adversary  or  satan  endeavors  to  secure  Israel's 
condemnation,  is  continued  here. 

CX 

A  Psalm  of  David. 


THE  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord, 
Sit  thou  at  my  right  hand,  un- 
til I  make  thine  enemies  thy  foot- 
stool. 

2  The  Lord  shall  send  the  rod 
of  thy  strength  out  of  Zion :  rule 
thou  in  the  midst  of  thine  enemies. 

3  Thy  people  shall  be  willing  in 
the  day  of  thy  power,  in  the 
beauties  of  holiness  from  the 
womb  of  the  morning:  thou  hast 
the  dew   of  thy  youth. 

4  The  Lord  hath  sworn,  and  will 
not  repent.  Thou  art  a  priest  for 
ever  after  the  order  of  Melchize- 
dek. 

5  The  Lord  at  thy  right  hand 
shall  strike  through  kings  in  the 
day  of  his  wrath. 

6  He  shall  judge  among  the 
heathen,  he  shall  fill  the  places 
with  the  dead  bodies ;  he  shall 
wound  the  heads  over  many 
countries. 

7  He  shall  drink  of  the  brook 
in  the  way:  therefore  shall  he  lift 
up   the   head. 


1.  Oracle   of   the   Lord   unto   my 

Lord  :    Sit  on  my  right, 
Until    I    make    thine    enemies 
the  stool  of  thy  feet. 

2.  The    rod   of   thy   strength    the 

Lord    sendeth    from    Zion, 
Rule  in  the  midst  of  foes. 

3.  Thy    people    freely   offered    in 

the  day  of  thy  ramparts, 
In     holy     apparel     from     the 

womb  of  dawn ; 
Thine  the   dew   of   thy  youth. 

4.  The     Lord     sware     and     re- 

penteth    not : 
Thou    art    a    priest    for    ever, 
After    the    manner    of    Mel- 

chizedek. 

5.  The    Lord   at   thy   right   hand 
Smote    kings    in    His    day    of 

wrath. 

6.  He    judgeth     among    the    na- 

tions,   hath    filled    valleys, 
Hath    smitten    the    head    over 
a  broad  land. 

7.  From   the   brook   by   the   way 

he  drinketh, 
Therefore    he    lifteth    up    the 
head. 


Jerusalem  Rebuilt 

This  might  be  called  the  Psalm  of  the  rebuilding  of  the 
walls  of  Jerusalem  under  Nehemiah.  That  seems  to  be  its 
inspiration,  and  it  may  have  been  originally  a  liturgy  con- 
nected with  that  event.  Like  so  many  of  the  post-exilic 
Psalms  it  uses  very  freely  previous  scriptures,  for  we  are 
here  in  the  age  of  writings.     It  commences  (1)  with  a  citation 


412  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

of  the  substance  of  Nathan's  oracle  to  David  (2  Sam.  7), 
passing  over  in  the  following  verse  (2)  to  an  interpretation 
of  that  oracle  which  gives  the  prominence  to  Zion  as  the  seat 
of  power,  in  which  it  resembles  Ps.  2.  The  following  verse, 
which  almost  personifies  Zion  or  Jerusalem  (3),  best  finds  its 
explanation  in  the  story  of  Nehemiah's  construction  of  the 
walls  or  ramparts  of  Jerusalem  and  the  peopling  of  the  city  by 
volunteers  (Neh.  11  ^).  These  are  thought  of  as  priests 
(cf.  Ex.  19^),  or  priest  soldiers,  wearing  special  or  holy 
garments  of  pure  white  linen,  as  all  such  must  (Rev.  19^*); 
and  they  are  praised  as  the  choicest  of  the  youth  of  Judah. 
By  this  time  the  royal  house,  which  was  at  the  beginning 
of  the  restoration  represented  by  Zerubbabel,  had  ceased  to 
play  any  part,  and  the  high  priest  was  regarded  as  the  head 
and  ruler  of  the  Jews  (cf.  Zech.  3^^,  6^^),  which  is  here 
justified  (4)  by  a  reference  to  the  story  of  Melchizedek 
(Gen.  14).  Then  follows  a  further  reference  to  the  ancient 
Davidic  promise  and  its  fulfilment  in  David's  victories  (5), 
the  Lord  being  represented  as  fighting  at  his  right  hand  (cf. 
109^^),  precisely  as  Rameses  II  represents  his  god  as  fighting 
at  his  right  hand  and  giving  him  victory  over  the  Hittites ; 
and  an  assurance  (6)  of  a  renewed  fulfilment  of  that  ancient 
promise  on  the  lines  of  Joel's  prophesies,  of  the  judgment 
of  the  nations  in  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat  (Jo.  3°*^),  and  of 
Ezekiel's  prophesies  of  the  destruction  of  Egypt  and  Gog 
and  the  filling  of  the  valleys  with  the  slain  (Ez.  32^,  39^^; 
cf.  also  Is.  66^*).  The  second  half  of  this  verse,  which  in  its 
vision  of  the  future  has  in  mind  the  past,  would  be  equally 
satisfied  with  David's  victories  as  recorded  in  2  Sam.,  or  with 
Abraham's  victory  over  Chedorlaomer  as  told  in  Gen.  14. 
Verse  7  is  perplexing.  What  the  reference  of  the  first  half 
is  I  do  not  know.  It  is  commonly  referred  to  the  story  of 
Gideon  (Jud.  7^-®),  which  seems  to  me  unsatisfactory.  I  am 
inclined  to  think  it  has  behind  it  some  such  thought  as  that 
of  Is.  55 :  "Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth."  For  the  second 
half  cf.  27  ^.  From  their  affinity  in  thought  it  would  seem 
that  our  Psalmist  had  Ps.  2  before  him. 

This  is  more  used  in  the  New  Testament  than  almost 
any  other  Psalm  or  any  scripture  of  the  Old  Testament. 
Verse  1  is  cited  in  Matt.  22-*,  Mk.  \2^\  Lk.  20*2."^  Acts 
2  ^*'  ^\  Heb.  1  ".  Cf .  also  Matt.  26  «*,  Eph.  1  -",  Col.  3  \ 
Heb.  1  ^  8\  10  ^^  12  ^  1  Cor.  \S'-\  Eph.  1  ^\    Verse  5  is  used 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


413 


in  Heb.  5 «- ^°,  6'°,  Z^^--^     In  the  use  of  the  Western  Church 
this   is   a   special    Psalm    for   Christmas   and    Circumcision. 

CXI— CXVIII 

These  Psalms  constitute  one  liturgy,  known  as  the  Hallel, 
sung  at  Dedication,  New  ]\ioon,  and  Passover.  At  the 
Passover  meal  also  Ps.  113-118  v^ere  sung  by  those  partaking; 
113  and  114  before  the  meal  and  the  second  cup;  115-118  after 
the  meal,  when  the  fourth  cup  had  been  filled.  It  was  ap- 
parently, therefore,  these  Psalms  which  constituted  the  hymn 
sung  by  our  Lord  and  His  Apostles,  mentioned  in  Matt.  26  ^°, 
Mark  14  ^^.  This  liturgy  was  not  composed  by  one  hand, 
but  is  a  collection  of  Psalms  brought  together  to  constitute 
a  liturgy  in  a  manner  and  with  an  idea  similar  to  Ps.  103-107, 
except  that  it  is  more  cryptic  or  mystical.  We  have  first  two 
praise  songs  in  the  form  of  alphabetic  acrostics  (111-112), 
by  the  same  hand,  the  one  continuing  the  other,  setting  forth 
the  glory  and  the  rewards  of  the  religion  (fear)  of  the  Lord. 
Then  follow  praise  songs  of  the  glory  and  goodness  of  the  Lord 
as  exhibited  in  God's  creation  of  the  world,  and  His  treatment 
of  man,  especially  His  exaltation  of  the  humble,  i.  e.,  Israel 
(113)  ;  as  exhibited  in  their  history,  their  deliverance  from  Egypt 
and  their  conduct  through  the  wilderness  (114)  ;  in  their  conquest 
and  possession  of  Canaan  (115)  ;  and  finally  in  their  deliverance 
from  death  in  Babylon  and  their  restoration  to  the  Holy  land 
(116)  ;  after  this  comes  a  doxology  (117)  ;  and  the  whole  is  con- 
cluded by  a  grand  processional  Thank  Offering  Psalm  (118), 
ritually  most  carefully  and  elaborately  organized.  This  liturgy 
was  made  to  consist  of  8  Psalms,  to  correspond  with  the  eight 
days  of  great  feasts.  Apparently,  however,  it  first  consisted  of  a 
smaller  number  (perhaps  5,  but  the  number  depends  on  the 
method  of  division  adopted  for  114,  115  and  116),  concluded  by 
a  doxology,  which  was  a  sacrificial  praise  cry  (117).  In  date  this 
liturgy  clearly  belongs  to  the  period  succeeding  the  adoption  of 
the  Law  under  Ezra,  i.  e.,  after  ca.  380  b  c. 


CXI 


PRAISE  ye  the  Lord.  I  will 
praise  the  Lord  with  my  whole 
heart,  in  the  assembly  of  the  up- 
right, and  in  the  congregation. 


1.     Hallelu-Yah. 

A.  I  give  thanks  to  the  Lord 

with   all  my  heart, 

B.  In    the    fellowship    of    the 

upright     and     the     con- 
gregation. 


414 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


2  The  works  of  the  Lord  are 
great,  sought  out  of  all  them  that 
have  pleasure  therein. 

3  His  work  is  honourable  and 
glorious :  and  his  righteousness 
endureth   for  ever. 

4  He  hath  made  his  wonderful 
works  to  be  remembered :  the 
Lord  is  gracious  and  full  of  com- 
passion. 

5  He  hath  given  meat  unto  them 
that  fear  him :  he  will  ever  be 
mindful   of   his   covenant. 

6  He  hath  shewed  his  people  the 
power  of  his  works,  that  he  may 
give  them  the  heritage  of  the 
heathen. 

7  The  works  of  his  hands  are 
verity  and  judgment;  all  his  com- 
mandments  are   sure. 

8  They  stand  fast  for  ever  and 
ever,  and  are  done  in  truth  and 
uprightness. 

9  He  sent  redemption  unto  his 
people :  he  hath  commanded  his 
covenant  for  ever :  holy  and  rev- 
erend is  his   name. 

10  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the 
beginning  of  wisdom :  a  good  un- 
derstanding have  all  they  that  do 
his  commandments:  his  praise  en- 
dureth  for   ever. 


2. 

c. 

D. 

3. 

E. 

F. 

4. 

G. 

H. 

5. 

J. 

K. 

6. 

L. 

M. 

7. 

N. 

O. 

8. 

P. 

Q- 

9. 

R. 

S. 

T. 

10. 

V. 

W 

z. 

Great    are    the    works    of 

the    Lord, 
Studied    of    all    who    love 

Him. 
Splendid  and  glorious  His 

deeds, 
And      His      righteousness 

abideth   for  aye. 
A  memorial  He  hath  made 

of   His   wonders; 
Gracious    and    merciful   is 

the    Lord, 
Booty     He     gave     to     His 

fearers ; 
He       remembereth       His 

covenant    for    ever. 
The    might   of    His    works 

He  showed  to  His  peo- 
ple, 
To  give  them  the  heritage 
of   nations. 
The  works  of  His  hands, 

truth    and    justice; 
Sure     are     all     His     pre- 
cepts, 
Established    for    ever    and 

aye, 
Wrought  in  truth  and  up- 
rightness. 
Redemption     He     sent    to 

His    people, 
Ordained      His     covenant 

for  ever; 
Holy      and      awful      His 

name. 
The  beginning  of  wisdom 

is  the  fear  of  the  Lord; 
A     good     understanding 

have   all  that   do   them ; 
His     praise     abideth     for 

aye. 


First  Hallcl  Acrostic 

Fellowship  (1),  i.  e.,  intimate  relation  with  righteous  com- 
rades, distinguished  from  worship  in  the  congregation.  Studied 
(2)  ;  we  are  in  the  period  of  the  study  of  the  scriptures,  the 
scribal  period.  Love  Him,  after  the  Greek;  the  Hebrew  has 
love  them.  Memorial  (4),  i.  e.,  the  scriptures  and  the  memorial 
there  contained  of  His  wonderful  works.  Gracious  and  merci- 
ful, or  compassionate,  cf.  Ex.  34®.  Booty  (5),  explained 
in  7  as  the  spoil  of  Canaan.  Covenant,  cf.  Ex.  19'-*.  Fearers, 
i.    e.,    His    followers    who    fear    Him,   an    ancient    terminology. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


415 


Truth  and  justice  (7),  i.  e.,  in  relation  to  Israel,  keeping  His 
covenant  and  showing  them  mercy  and  compassion.  Redemption 
(9),  i.  e.,  ransoming  or  redeeming  them  from  the  Babylonian 
captivity  (Is.  50^),  thus  proving  that  His  covenant  with  Israel 
is  one  ordained  or  commanded  for  all  time.  His  name,  i.  e., 
himself,  cf.  Ex.  20^.  Beginning  of  zuisdom  (10),  etc.,  familiar 
in  the  Wisdom  literature  (cf.  Ps.  17,  9  ^^  Jb.  28  28).  Do 
them;  the  fear  or  religion  of  Yahaweh  consists  in  knowing 
and  keeping  the  judgments  and  precepts  which  constitute  that 
religion.  His  praise,  etc.,  a  way  of  asserting  the  eternal  char- 
acter of  Yahaweh,  who  is  praised,  and  of  His  covenant  relation 
to  His  people,  by  whom  He  is  praised.  This  Psalm  is  gnomic 
in  tone,  like  1. 

CXII 


PRAISE  ye  the  Lord.  Blessed 
is  the  man  that  feareth  the 
Lord,  that  deligheth  greatly  in  his 
commandments. 

2  His  seed  shall  be  mighty  upon 
earth :  the  generation  of  the  up- 
right   shall   be   blessed. 

3  Wealth  and  riches  shall  be 
in  his  house:  and  his  righteous- 
ness   endureth    for   ever. 

4  Unto  the  upright  there  aris- 
eth  light  in  the  darkness :  he  is 
gracious,  and  full  of  compassion, 
and   righteous. 

5  A  good  man  sheweth  favour, 
and  lendeth :  he  will  guide  his  af- 
fairs  with   discretion. 

6  Surely  he  shall  not  be  moved 
for  ever :  the  righteous  shall  be 
in    everlasting    remembrance. 

7  He  shall  not  be  afraid  of  evil 
tidings :  his  heart  is  fixed,  trust- 
ing in  the  Lord. 

8  His  heart  is  established,  he 
shall  not  be  afraid,  until  he  sees 
his  desire  upon  his  enemies. 

9  He  hath  dispersed,  he  hath 
given  to  the  poor;  his  righteous- 
ness endureth  for  ever;  his  horn 
shall   be  exalted   with  honour. 


7. 


9. 


Hallelu-Yah. 

A.  Happy  he  that  feareth  the 
Lord, 

B.  In  His  commandments  de- 
lighteth  greatly. 

C.  Alighty    in    tlic    land    shall 
His   seed   be ; 

D.  The  generation  of  the  up- 
right shall  be  blessed ; 

E.  Wealth   and    riches   in   his 
house. 

F.  And      His      righteousness 
abiding   alway. 

G.  There    rose    in    the    dark- 
ness a  light   for  the  upright, 

H.     Gracious  and  merciful  and 

righteous. 
J.    Well    is    it   with   him    that 

is  kind  and  lendeth, 
EL     He  maintaineth  His  cause 

in   judgment; 
L.     For    He     shall    never    be 

moved ; 
M.     The    righteous     shall    be 

an   everlasting   memorial ; 
N.     Of    evil    tidings    He    hath 

no    fear, 
O.     Fixed    his    heart,    trusting 

in  the  Lord. 
P.     His    heart    is    established, 

he  feareth  not, 
Q.     Until  he  look  upon  his  foes. 
R.     He    hath     scattered,    hath 

given  to   the   poor, 
S.     His    righteousness    abideth 

alway, 
T.    His    horn    is    exalted    in 

honor. 


416 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


10  The  wicked  shall  see  it,  and 
be  grieved ;  he  shall  gnash  with 
his  teeth,  and  melt  away :  the  de- 
sire of  the  wicked  shall  perish. 


10.     V.     The  wicked    seeth    and    is 

vexed, 
W.     His  teeth  he  gnasheth  and 

is  wasted  away; 
Z.    The    lust    of    the    godless 

doth  perish. 


Second  HcUcl  Acrostic 

In  form  and  school  of  thought  this  is  a  companion  piece  to 
111,  which  it  continues,  the  first  verse  of  this  Psalm,  Happy  he 
that  feareth  the  Lord,  attaching  directly  to  the  last  verse  of 
the  preceding.  The  beginning  of  wisdom  is  the  fear  of  the 
Lord.  As  in  Deuteronomy,  faithfulness  to  the  true  religion 
will  result  in  success  against  the  outside  world  (2),  and 
wealth  (3),  cf.  also  Pr.  3  ^^  8^^.  And,  although  Israel  was 
distressed,  yet  in  his  darkness  God,  gracious,  merciful  and 
righteous,  lifted  up  the  light  of  Plis  countenance  upon  him 
(4).  Cf.  this  line  with  111  *.  In  some  of  the  Greek  texts 
it  reads  the  same :  Gracious  end  merciful  is  the  Lord.  The 
great  expression  of  this  true  religion  is  generosity  and  alms- 
giving, which  is  emphasized  and  praised  in  the  succeeding 
verses  (5-9).  This  will  secure  the  almoner  a  permanent 
memorial  before  God  (6),  assure  his  safety  (7,  8),  and  exalt 
Him  in  honor  (9).  In  this  emphasis  on  alms  giving  as  the 
test  and  proof  of  religion  it  agrees  with  Wisdom  literature 
(cf.  Pr.  11^*,  14  2\  19").  This  constitutes  righteousness 
(9)  ;  cf.  Mt.  6  ^^.  Compare  with  this  the  following  from  the 
Persian  Gathas  (Yasna  XL  2,  4)  :  "(Grant)  that  we  may 
be    in    fellowship    with    Thee    and    Thy    righteousness    for    all 

duration So  may  we  be  to  you,  O  Mazda  Ahura,  holy  and 

true,  and  with  free  giving  of  our  gifts."  In  contrast  with 
the  happy  lot  of  him  who  fears  God,  keeps  His  command- 
ments and  displays  loving  kindness  by  giving  alms  (1-9),  is 
the  lot  of  the  wicked  (10).  Cf.  the  contrast  of  the  lot  of 
the  righteous  and  the  lot  of  the  wicked  in  Psalm  1.  The 
affinities  of  this  Psalm  with  Proverbs  are  numerous.  Verse  9 
is  cited  by  Saint  Paul  in  2  Cor.  9  ^. 


CXIII 


P  RAISE  ye  the  Lord.  Praise, 
-*■  O  ye  servants  of  the  Lord,  praise 
the  name  of  the  Lord. 

2  Blessed  be  the  name  of  the 
Lord  from  this  time  forth  and  for 
evermore. 


1.  Hallelu-Yah! 

Praise,  ye  of  servants  the  Lord 
Praise  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

2.  Be     the     name     of     the     Lord 

blessed, 
Henceforth  and  for  ever. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


417 


3  From  the  rising  of  the  sun  unto 
the  going  down  of  the  same  the 
Lord's  name  is  to  be  praised. 

4  The  Lord  is  high  above  all 
nations,  atid  his  glory  above  the 
heavens. 

5  Who  is  like  unto  the  Lord  our 
God,  who  dwelleth  on  high, 

6  Who  humbleth  himself  to  be- 
hold the  things  that  are  in  heaven, 
and  in  the  earth  I 

7  He  raiseth  up  the  poor  out  of 
the  dust,  and  lifteth  the  needy  out 
of  the  dunghill ; 

8  That  he  may  set  him  with 
princes,  even  with  the  princes  of 
his  people. 

9  He  maketh  the  barren  woman 
to  keep  house,  and  to  be  a  joyful 
mother  of  children.  Praise  ye  the 
Lord. 


3.     From    the    rising    of    the    sun 
unto  its  setting 
Praised    be    the    name    of    the 
Lord. 


High  above  all  nations  is  the 

Lord, 
Above  the  heavens  His  glory. 
Who  is  like  the  Lord,  our  God, 
That  dwelleth  so  high. 
That  looketh  so  low — 
In  heaven  and  on  earth? 


0. 


9. 


Raising  from  the  dust  the  poor, 
From  the   dunghill   He   lifteth 

the  need}', 
To  set  him  wiih  princes, 
With  the   prmces   of   the  peo- 
ples; 
That  giveth  the  barren  a  home. 
The  joyful  mother  of  children. 


Praise  Song 

A  praise  song  extolling  the  glory  of  God  exhibited  in  His 
dealings  with  Israel,  the  poor  and  needy,  whom  He  has  exalted 
from  the  dunghill  of  captivity  to  set  him  among  the  princes 
of  the  peoples ;  has  delivered  f  roin  national  death  to  give 
him  a  home  land  and  make  Jerusalem  a  mother  of  children. 
It  is  composed  of  three  stanzas  or  parts:  a,  1-3.  Praise 
to  the  Name,  a  very  old  motive  and  using  very  old  phrases 
familiar  from  Sumerian  times,  such  as  verse  3 ;  quoted  from 
the  ritual  in  Mai.  1  ".  b,  4-6.  God's  greatness  and  yet  His 
concern  for  men.  c,  7-9.  His  exaltation  of  the  lowly,  an  old 
motive,  familiar  in  Sumerian  Psalms.  There  are  also  old 
forms  as  well  as  old  motives  in  this  Psalm.  It  uses  freely 
earlier  Psalms  and  Scriptures,  especially  the  Song  of  Hannah, 
1  Sam.  2.  Cf .  3  and  50  ^ ;  4  and  97  ^  99 ',  S\  57  " ;  5  and 
89 «,  103  ^^  Ex.  15":  7  and  1  Sam.  2 «;  8  and  Jb.  36  ^  9  and 
1  Sam  2  ^  Is.  54  ^  Peoples  (8)  ;  the  Hebrew  reads  as  does 
the  Greek,  His  people.  Sense  and  rhythm  seem  to  require 
peoples,  by  the  change  of  one  letter.  Hallelu-Yah  at  the  close 
of  this  Psalm  in  the  Hebrew  belongs  at  the  beginning  of  the 
next,   as   in   the   Greek. 


418 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


CXIV 


WHEN     Israel     went     out     of 
Egypt,    the    house    of    Jacob 
from  a  people  of  strange  language; 

2  Judah  was  his  sanctuary,  and 
Israel  his  dominion. 

3  The  sea  saw  it,  and  fled :  Jordan 
was  driven  back. 

4  The  mountains  skipped  like 
rams,  and  the  little  hills  like  Iambs. 

5  What  ailed  thee,  O  thou  sea, 
that  thou  fleddest?  thou  Jordan, 
that  thou  wast  driven  back? 

6  Ye  mountains,  that  ye  skipped 
like  rams ;  and  ye  little  hills,  like 
lambs? 

7  Tremble,  thou  earth,  at  the 
presence  of  the  Lord,  at  the  pres- 
ence of  the  God  of  Jacob; 

8  Which  turned  the  rock  into  a 
standing  water,  the  flint  into  a 
fountain  of  waters. 


1.  Hallelu-Yah. 

When     Israel     went     out     of 

Egypt, 
The   house   of    Jacob   from    a 

foreign  people — 

2.  Judah    became    His    sanctuary. 
Israel  His  dominion — 

3.  The  sea  saw  and  fled, 
Jordan  was  turned   back; 

4.  The     mountains     skipped     like 

rams, 
Hills  like  kids  of  the  flock. 

5.  What     aileth     thee,     sea,     that 

thou  fleest? 
Jordan,  that  thou  turnest  back? 

6.  Mountains    that    ye    skip    like 

rams. 
Hills  like  kids  of  the  goats? 

7.  Before    the    Lord    tremble,    O 

earth. 
Before  the  God  of  Jacob; 

8.  Who    turneth    the    rock    to    a 

water  pool, 
The  flint  to  fountains  of  water. 


Israel  Out  of  Egypt 

This  and  the  succeeding  Psalm  are  praise  songs  telling  of 
God's  wonders  in  the  past.  In  the  Greek  they  are  com- 
bined to  form  one  Psalm,  numbered  113.  Our  Psalm,  a 
very  beautiful  one,  deals  with  the  deliverance  from  Egypt  and 
the  experiences  in  the  wilderness,  quite  generally,  with  small 
use  of  or  reference  to  former  scriptures.  For  verse  2  cf. 
78  ^^'  °^  and  Ex.  19  ^.  This  verse  is  in  the  nature  of  a  paren- 
thesis, perhaps  originally  a  gloss,  verse  3  continuing  the  nar- 
rative of  1,  and  forming  its  apodosis.  For  3  see  77'^^,  Josh. 
3  ^°'  ^^  Verse  4  seems  to  refer  to  the  trembling  of  the  moun- 
tains at  the  giving  of  the  Law,  as  in  Ex.  19,  and  is  so  inter- 
preted in  verse  7,  which  is,  however,  in  the  nature  of  a  paren- 
thesis. It  has  no  exact  parallel  elsewhere.  The  names  of 
deity  in  verse  7  are  most  unusually  combined,  the  late  Adon, 
Lord,  and  the  primitive  Eloah  (not  the  more  common  plural 
form  Elohini)  God.  Verse  8  is,  like  78^'^,  dependent  on  Ex.  17 
and  Num.  20  (cf.  for  language  107  ^^  and  Dt.  8^')-  Here, 
as  in  verse  3,  events  at  the, beginning  and  end  of  the  wilderness 
story  are  chosen.  Like  the  preceding  this  Psalm  contains 
some  old  linguistic  forms. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


419 


cxv 


NOT  unto  us,  O  Lord,  not  unto 
us,  but  unto  thy  name  give 
glory,  for  thy  mercy,  and  for  thy 
truth's  sake. 

2  Wherefore  should  the  heathen 
say,  Where  is  now  their  God? 

3  But  bur  God  is  in  the  heavens : 
he  hath  done  whatsoever  he  hath 
pleased. 

4  Their  idols  are  silver  and  gold, 
the  work  of  men's  hands. 

5  They  have  mouths,  but  they 
speak  not :  eyes  have  they,  but  they 
see  not : 

6  They  have  ears,  but  they  hear 
not :  noses  have  they,  but  they  smell 
not : 

7  They  have  hands,,  but  they 
handle  not :  feet  have  they,  but  they 
walk  not:  neither  speak  they 
through  their  throat. 

8  They  that  make  them  are  like 
unto  them;  so  is  every  one  that 
trusteth  in  them. 

9  O  Israel,  tcust  thou  in  the 
Lord:  he  is  their  help  and  their 
shield. 

10.  O  house  of  Aaron,  trust  in 
the  Lord  :  he  is  their  help  and  their 
shield. 

11  Ye  that  fear  the  Lord,  trust  in 
the  Lord  :  he  is  their  help  and  their 
shield. 

12  The:  Lord  hath  been  mindful 
of  us:  he  will  bless  m^;  he  will 
bless  the  house  of  Israel;  he  will 
bless  the  house  of  Aaron. 

13  He  will  bless  them  that  fear 
the  Lord,  both  small  and  great. 

14  The  Lord  shall  increase  you 
more  and  more,  you  and  your 
children. 

15  Ye  are  blessed  of  the  Lord 
which  made  heaven  and  earth. 

16  The  heaven,  even  the  heavens, 
are  the  Lord's:  but  the  earth  hath 
he  given  to  the  children  of  men. 


1.  Not   unto   us,   Lord,  not   unto 

us ; 
For  unto  Thy  name  give  glory. 
Because  of  Thy  love,  because 

of  Thy  truth. 

2.  Why  do  the  nations  say: 
"Where  then  is  their  God?" 

3.  And  our  God  is  in  heaven ; 
What  He  will  He  hath  done. 

4.  Their  idols  are  silver  and  gold, 
The  work  of  men's  hands. 

5.  Mouths  have  they— and   speak 

not; 
Eyes  have  they — and  see  not; 

6.  Ears  have  they— and  hear  not; 
Noses    have    they — and    smell 

not; 

7.  They    have    hands— and    touch 

not; 
They  have  feet— and  walk  not ; 
Nor    breathe    they    with    their 

throat. 

8.  Like  them  be  they  that  make 

them, 
Whosoever    trusteth    in   theml 

9.  O  Israel,  trust  in  the  Lord! 
Their  help  and  their  shield  is 

He. 

10.  House  of  Aaron,  trust  in  the 

Lord  I 
Their  help  and  their  shield  is 
He. 

11.  Fearers   of  the   Lord,  trust  in 

the  Lord  I 
Their  help  and  their  shield  is 
He. 

12.  The   Lord   hath   been   mindful 

of  us;  He  blesseth — 
Blesseth  the  house  of  Israel ; 
Blesseth  the  house  of  Aaron; 
Blesseth    the    fearers    of    the 

Lord, 

13.  Small  and  great  alike. 

14.  The  Lord  give  you  increase, 
To  you  and  to  your  children! 

15.  Blessed  be  ye  of   the  Lord, 
Maker  of  heaven  and  earth! 

16.  The   heavens   are   the  heavens 

of   the   Lord; 
But  the  earth  He  gave  to  the 
sons  of  men. 


420 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


17  The  dead  praise  not  the  Lord, 
neither  any  that  go  down  into 
silence. 

18  But  we  will  bless  the  Lord 
from  this  time  forth  and  for  ever- 
more.   Praise  the  Lord. 


17.  The  dead  praise  not  Yah, 
Nor   they   that   go   down   into 

silence; 

18.  But  we  will  bless  Yah 
Henceforth  and  for  ever, 
Hallelu-Yah ! 


The  Defy  Song 

In  the  Greek  this  Psalm  is  combined  with  the  preceding.  As 
that  dealt  with  the  wonders  of  Yahaweh  in  delivering  Israel 
from  Egypt,  so  this  praise  song  deals  with  the  wonders  of 
Yahaweh  in  overthrowing  the  idolatrous  possessors  of  Canaan 
and  giving  their  land  to  Israel,  treating  the  theme  in  a  general 
and  summary  manner,  and  so  as  to  make  it  prophetic  for  the 
new  Israel,  brought  out  of  the  Sheol  of  captivity  into  life, 
and  looking  with  new  hope  and  trust  to  a  greater  fulfilment  of 
Yahaweh's  sure  promises.  It  is  full  of  allusions  to  earlier 
scriptures.  Cf.  2  and  79^°;  3  and  103";  4«  and  Dt.  4", 
2  K.  19  ^«,  Jer.  10%  Is.  44 1°^;  9  and  33^";  14  and  Dt.  P^; 
17  and  6  \  30  ",  88  ",  Is.  38  i^'"-".  Verses  9-16;  this 
is  the  first  appearance  of  this  arrangement  of  a  liturgy,  with 
a  succession  of  short,  litany  like  responses.  Fearers  of  the 
Lord  (13),  the  inclusive  phrase,  which  sums  all  the  preceding 
in  one.  Some  have  understood  it  as  proselytes.  The  earth 
(16),  or  the  land,  i.  e.,  the  land  of  Israel  which  God  gave  to 
His  children.     It  is  used  here  in  both  senses. 

This  Psalm  has  been  a  favorite  in  the  Christian  Church. 
In  the  early  days  of  persecution  it  was  the  defy  song  sung 
by  Christians  refusing  to  sacrifice  to  Caesar.  It  was  the 
Psalm  chanted  by  the  British  army  on  bended  knee  after 
Agincourt;  and  verse  1  was  the  motto  given  by  Henry  IV  to 
Henry  V.  When  in  1510  the  Spaniards  took  Oran  from  the 
Moors,  they  rode  through  the  street  chanting  this  Psalm,  with 
Cardinal  Ximenes  in  full  pontificals  leading.  It  was  chanted 
at  the  mass  on  the  Kahlenberg  above  Vienna  for  Sobieski 
and  his  Poles  before  they  descended  on  the  Turkish  hordes  to 
rid  Europe  of  that  menace.  It  seems  strange  and  somewhat  in- 
congruous that  image-using  Christians  should  have  applied  it 
to  image-abhorring  Moslems. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


421 


CXVI 


I  LOVE  the  Lord,  because  he  hath 
heard  my  voice  and  my  supplica- 
tions. 

2  Because  he  hath  inclined  his 
ear  unto  me,  therefore  will  I  call 
upon  him  as  long  as  I  live. 

3  The  sorrows  of  death  com- 
passed me,  and  the  pains  of  hell 
gat  hold  upon  me:  I  found  trouble 
and  sorrow. 

4.  Then  called  I  upon  the  name 
of  the  Lord  ;  O  Lord,  I  beseech  thee, 
deliver  my  soul. 

5.  Gracious  is  the  Lord,  and 
righteous;  yea,  our  God  is  merciful. 

6  The  Lord  preserveth  the  simple  : 
I  was  brought  low,  and  he  helped 
me. 

7  Return  unto  thy  rest,  O  my 
soul ;  for  the  Lord  hath  dealt 
bountifully  with  thee. 

8  For  thou  hast  delivered  my  soul 
from  death,  mine  eyes  from  tears, 
and  my  feet  from  falling. 

9  I  will  walk  before  the  Lord 
in  the  land  of  the  living. 

10  I  believed,  therefore  have  I 
spoken :    I   was  greatly  afflicted : 

111  said  in  my  haste,  All  men  are 
liars. 

12  What  shall  I  render  unto  the 
Lord  for  all  his  benefits  toward  me? 

13  I  will  take  the  cup  of  salva- 
tion, and  call  upon  the  name  of  the 
Lord. 

14  I  will  pay  my  vows  unto  the 
Lord  now  in  the  presence  of  all 
his  people. 

15  Precious  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord  is  the  death  of  his  saints. 


1.  I    have    loved    (the    Lord   my 

strength,    etc.). 
For  the  Lord  heareth  the  voice 
of   my   supplication. 

2.  For  He  inclined  His  ear  to  me. 
And  on  His  name  I  call. 

3.  Cords    of    death    encompassed 

me. 
And    anguish    of    Hell    found 

me; 
(Distress  and  sorrow  I  find.) 

4.  And  on  the  name  of  the  Lord 

I  call: 
Alas  I     Lord,  rescue  me. 

5.  Gracious     is     the     Lord     and 

righteous. 
And  our  God  is  merciful. 

6.  Guardian  of  the  simple  is  the 

Lord; 
I    was    brought    low    and    He 
saveth  me. 

7.  Return,  my  soul,  to  thy  resting 

place. 
For  the  Lord  hath  recompensed 
thee. 

8.  For    He    delivered    me    from 

death. 
Mine  eyes   from  tears. 
My  feet  from  stumbling. 

9.  I  walk  before  the  Lord 

In  the  land  of  the  living. 

10.  I    have   trusted    (in    the    Lord, 

etc.). 
(For    I    speak)     I    was    sore 
afflicted ; 

11.  I  said  in  my  frenzy: 
All  mankind  are  liars. 

12.  How  shall  I  repay  to  the  Lord 
All  His  bounty  toward  me? 

13.  The  cup  of   salvation   I   lift. 
And  on  the  name  of  the  Lord 

I  call. 

14.  My  vows  to  the  Lord  I  pay. 
Before    ( — fore)    all   His  peo- 
ple. 

15.  Precious    in    the    sight    of    the 

Lord 
The  death  of  His  saints. 


422 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


16  O  Lord,  truly  I  am  thy  servant; 
I  am  thy  servant,  and  the  son  of 
thine  handmaid :  thou  hast  loosed 
my  bonds. 

17  I  will  offer  to  thee  the  sacri- 
fice of  thanksgiving,  and  -will  call 
upon  the  name   of   the   Lord. 

18  I  will  pay  my  vows  unto  the 
Lord  now  in  the  presence  of  his 
people, 

19  In  the  courts  of  the  Lord's 
house,  in  the  midst  of  thee,  O 
Jerusalem.     Praise  ye  the  Lord. 


16.  Alas!     Lord. 

For  I  am  Thy  servant. 

I  am  Thy  servant,  son  of  Thy 

hand  maid ; 
Thou  hast  loosed  my  bonds. 

17.  To  Thee   I  offer  thank  offer- 

ings. 
And  on  the  name  of  the  Lord 
I  call. 

18.  My  vows  to  the  Lord  I  pay. 
Before    ( — fore)    all   His  peo- 
ple. 

19.  In  the  courts  of  the  house  of 

the  Lord, 
In  the  midst  of  thee,  Jerusalem. 
Hallelu-Yah. 


Deliverance 

This  Psalm  attaches  in  thought  to  the  latter  part  of  the  pre- 
ceding, the  deHverance  from  the  death  of  the  Babylonian  cap- 
tivity, and  was  a  thank  offering  liturgy,  to  be  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  libations,  thank  offerings  and  vows  offered 
by  the  pilgrims  assembled  at  Jerusalem  for  the  great  festivals. 
In  the  Greek  it  is  divided  after  verse  9,  the  two  parts  con- 
stituting Psalms  CXIV,  CXV.  These  parts  may  have  been  orig- 
inally separate  Psalms,  but  in  the  form  in  which  we  have 
them  they  constitute  one  liturgical  whole,  a  hymn  of  thanks- 
giving for  deliverance  from  the  death  that  seemed  to  have 
befallen  the  Jews,  and  for  liberty  to  return  to  the-  Holy  Land, 
where  they  now  offer  their  thank  and  freewill  ofTerings.  Like 
the  preceding  and  succeeding  Psalms  of  the  Hallel  this  is 
followed  by  a  hallelu-Yoh,  whereas  the  first  four  Psalms  of 
that  collection  (111-114)  open  with  that  praise  cry.  We  find 
in  this  Psalm  archaisms  combined  with  late  uses  and  Ara- 
maisms,  the  former  due  in  part  certainly  to  its  dependence 
on  ancient  liturgies,  in  part  perhaps  to  an  intentional  effort 
to  archaize,  which  we  meet  in  some  of  the  later  psalmody. 
Poetically  this  Psalm  is  not  carefully  arranged,  and  in  one  or 
two  places  it  consists  of  little  more  than  notes  for  the  singers. 
Verses  1-4  are  a  rough  citation  or  adaptation  of  18  ^'^.  After 
loved  (1)  are  to  be  added  the  name  Yahaweh,  and  a  list  of 
honorific  titles,  as  in  18  ^.  Voice  of  my  supplication,  the  He- 
brew has  my  voice  and  my  supplication,  but  cf .  6  ^,  66  ^•. 
Inclined  His  ear  (2),  cf.  17  ^,  31  ^.  His  name;  Hebrew  has 
my   days,    an    evident   text    error    due    to    the    change    of    one 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  423 

letter.  Hell  (3),  Hebrew  Sheol.  This  citation  from  Psalm 
18  is  made  to  refer  here  to  the  death  of  the  Babylonian  cap- 
tivity. Found  me,  this  most  unusual  expression  is  explained 
in  a  scribal  gloss  as  meaning  that  Israel  encountered  or  found 
distress  and  sorrow.  Alas,  etc.,  (4),  an  ancient  liturgical  ap- 
peal, common  in  Sumerian  penitential  psalms.  To  that  peni- 
tential cry  out  of  the  Captivity,  when  they  were  brought  very 
low,  God,  who  loves  the  poor  and  needy,  ever  merciful  and 
compassionate  (the  phrase  so  freely  used  in  the  post-exilic 
liturgy),  has  given  heed  and  saved  them  (5-6).  So  the  sum- 
mons to  the  pilgrims  to  return  to  their  resting  place,  i.  e.,  the 
Holy  Land  which  God  gave  Israel  for  their  resting  place  after 
their  wanderings;  and,  restored  from  the  death  of  the  Cap- 
tivity, to  walk  before  Him  there  a  living  nation  (7-9).  Verses 
10,  11  use  Ps.  62  in  the  same  manner  in  which  1-4  used  Ps. 
18;  and  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  older  Psalms  used  in 
this  liturgy  are  drawn  from  the  two  Davidic  Psalm  books 
(2-41,  51-72).  The  theme  of  Ps.  62  is  the  vanity  of  trust  in 
man;  the  help  of  Israel  lay  only  in  his  God;  a  theme  familiar 
in  the  pre-exilic  prophets.  Here  that  theme  is  used  with 
reference  to  the  experiences  of  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  and  the 
Captivity,  when  allies  proved  broken  reeds,  and  the  neighbor- 
ing peoples  proved  traitors  and  made  profit  out  of  Judah's 
fall;  but  God  and  God  only  delivered  them  from  the  captivity. 
Now  faithful  Israel,  which  was  redeemed  from  the  Captivity, 
is  made  to  say  that  He  trusted,  leaving  the  object  of  His  trust, 
Yahaweh,  with  such  honorific  titles  as  rock,  etc.,  which  meet 
us  in  62,  to  be  supplied.  The  for  I  speak  is  a  citation  refer- 
ence to  Ps.  62,  where  in  his  frenzy  or  ecstasy  the  Psalmist 
denounced  the  vanity  of  human  help  62  ^.  Then  comes  the 
summons  to  repay  God's  bounty  by  worthy  sacrifice  (12), 
which  may  be  illuminated  by  a  reference  of  the  Chronicler  to 
Hezekiah's  failure  to  do  this  as  the  cause  of  disaster  to  Judah 
(2  Chr.  32").  Then  follow  the  Hbations  (3)  and  vows  (4). 
Fore;  the  Hebrew  throws  in  a  meaningless,  resonant  syllable 
here,  as  also  in  18,  merely  for  effect  in  singing.  Then  follows 
another  alas  (16),  preceded  and  prepared  for  by  a  sense  cita- 
tion of  72  "'  ^*,  substituting  inter  alias  death  for  blood.  Then 
comes  again  the  declaration  of  salvation,  that  God  hath  loosed 
their  bonds,  i.  e.,  delivered  them  from  captivity  (cf.  107"), 
and  the  ofifering  of  thank  oflferings  and  vows  (17-19),  with 
intentional  repetition  of  phrases  and  lines  used  previously   (cf. 


424 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


17  with  13,  4  and  2,  and  18  with  14).  These  pilgrims,  gath- 
ered from  all  quarters  of  the  earth,  are  to  offer  in  the  Temple 
courts  in  the  very  midst  of  Jerusalem,  a  thought  running 
through  these  post-exilic  liturgies  (cf.  107  and  102^^). 

Verse  10  is  cited  by  St.  Paul  in  2  Cor.  4".     Verse  13  was 
used  as  a  text  by  St.  Bernard  in  preaching  a  Crusade. 


CXVII 


PRAISE    the    Lord,    all    ye    na- 
tions :  praise  him,  all  ye  people. 
2  For    his    merciful    kindness    is 
great  toward  us :  and  the  truth  of 
the  Lord  endureth  for  ever.    Praise 
ye  the  Lord. 


1.  Praise  the  Lord,  all  nations, 
Laud  Him,  all  peoples; 

2.  For  mighty  is   His  love  upon 

us, 
And  the  truth  of  the  Lord  is 

for    aye. 
Hallelu-Yah ! 


A  Doxology 

This  is  a  sacrificial  praise  cry  for  the  preceding  liturgy,  em- 
phasizing the  thought  of  the  gathering  of  peoples  from  all 
quarters  of  the  world  at  Jerusalem  (1),  and  by  its  use  of 
love  and  truth  (2)  taking  up  and  connecting  itself  with  the 
two  parts  of  the  immediately  preceding  Psalm    (116^'^°). 

This  Psalm  was  sung  by  Cromwell  and  his  soldiers  after 
their  victory  over  the  Scotch. 


CXVIII 


GIVE    thanks    unto    the    Lord; 
for    he    is    good :    because    his 
mercy  cndiircth  for  ever. 

2  Let  Israel  now  say,  that  his 
mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

3  Let  the  house  of  Aaron  now 
say,  that  his  mercy  endureth  for 
ever. 

4  Let  them  now  that  fear  the 
Lord  say,  that  his  mercy  endureth 
for  ever. 

5  I  called  upon  the  Lord  in  dis- 
tress :  the  Lord  answered  me,  and 
set  me  in  a  large  place. 

6  The  Lord  is  on  my  side ;  I  will 
not  fear:  what  can  man  do  unto 
me? 

7  The  Lord  taketh  my  part  with 
them  that  help  me :  therefore  shall 
I  see  my  desire  upon  them  that  hate 
me. 


\. 


3. 


4. 


Give  thanks   to  the   Lord,   for 

He  is  good ; 
For  everlasting  is  His  love. 
Let  Israel  now  say: 
For  everlasting  is  His  love. 
Let  the  house  of  Aaron  now 

say: 
For  everlasting  is  His  love. 
Let   the    fearers   of    the    Lord 

now  say : 
For  everlasting  is  His  love. 


5.  Out  of  mine  anguish  I  called 

Yah; 
Yah   answered   and   set   me   at 
large. 

6.  The  Lord  is  for  me,  I  fear  not ; 
What  can  man  do  unto  me? 

7.  The  Lord  is  for  me  with  my 

helpers. 
That  I  may  gaze  on  my  foes. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


425 


8  It  is  better  to  trust  in  the  Lord 
than  to  put  confidence  in  man. 

9  It  is  better  to  trust  in  the  Lord 
than  to  put  confidence  in  princes. 

10  All  nations  compassed  me 
about :  but  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
will  I  destroy  them. 

11  They  compassed  me  about; 
yea,  they  compassed  me  about :  but 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  I  will 
destroy  them. 

12  They  compassed  me  about  like 
bees ;  they  are  quenched  as  the  fire 
of  thorns :  for  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  I  will  destroy  them. 

13  Thou  hast  thrust  sore  at  me 
that  I  might  fall :  but  the  Lord 
helped  me. 

14  The  Lord  is  my  strength  and 
song,  and  is  become  my  salvation. 

15  The  voice  of  rejoicing  and 
salvation  is  in  the  tabernacles  of 
the  righteous :  the  right  hand  of 
the  Lord  doeth  valiantly. 

16  The  right  hand  of  the  Lord 
is  exalted:  the  right  hand  of  the 
Lord  doeth  valiantly. 

17  I  shall  not  die,  but  live,  and 
declare  the  works  of  the  Lord. 

18  The  Lord  hath  chastened  me 
sore :  but  he  hath  not  given  me  over 
unto  death. 

19  Open  to  me  the  gates  of  right- 
eousness :  I  will  go  into  them,  and 
I  will  praise  the  Lord  : 

20  This  gate  of  the  Lord,  into 
which   the   righteous    shall   enter. 

21  I  will  praise  thee :  for  thou 
hast  heard  me,  and  art  become  my 
salvation. 


8.  To    seek   refuge   in    the    Lord 

is  better 
Than  trusting  in  man. 

9.  To  seek  refuge  in  the  Lord  is 

better 
Than  trusting   in  princes. 

10.  All  nations  surrounded  me. 
By  the  name  of  the  Lord,  but 

I  will  cut  them  off ! 

11.  Surrounded,    yea,    surrounded 

me; 
By  the  name  of  the  Lord,  but 
I  will  cut  them  off ! 

12.  Surrounded    me    like    bees. 
Are    quenched    as    a    fire    of 

thorns : 
By    the    name    of    the    Lord, 
but  I  will  cut  them  off  I 

13.  Thrust     sore     hast     thou     to 

make    me    fall, 
And  the  Lord  hath  holpen  me, 

14.  My  strength  and  song  is  Yah ; 
And  He  is  become  my  salva- 
tion. 

15.  (A   shout   of   joy  and   victory 

in     the     dwellings     of     the 
righteous :) 
(Chorus.)     The  right  hand  of 
the  Lord  winneth  victory  1 

16.  The    right   hand    of    the    Lord 

is  exalted ! 
The    right    hand    of    the    Lord 
winneth    victory  I 

17.  I  am  not  dead,  but  live, 

And    tell    out    the    deeds    of 
Yah. 

18.  Though  Yah  chasten  me  sore. 
He   hath   not   given   me    unto 

death. 

19.  (Stunmons.)       Open     for    me 

the   gates    of    righteousness ; 
I     will     enter     therein,     will 
give  thanks  to  Yah. 

20.  (Answer.)       This   is   the    gate 

of  the  Lord. 
The     righteous     shall     enter 
therein. 

21.  I  thank  Thee,   for  Thou  hast 

answered   me. 
And  art  become  my  salvation. 


426 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


22  The  stone  ivhich  the  builders 
refused  is  become  the  head  stone 
of    the    corner. 

23  This  is  the  Lord's  doing;  it  is 
marvellous  in  our  eyes. 

24  This  is  the  day  which  the  Lord 
hath  made;  we  will  rejoice  and  be 
glad  in  it. 

25  Save  now,  I  beseech  thee,  O 
Lord;  O  Lord,  I  beseech  thee,  send 
now  prosperity. 

26  Blessed  be  he  that  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  :  we  have 
blessed  you  out  of  the  house  of  the 
Lord. 

27  God  is  the  Lord,  which  hath 
shewed  us  light:  bind  the  sacrifice 
with  cords,  even  unto  the  horns 
of  the  altar. 

28  Thou  art  my  God,  and  I  will 
praise  thee :  thou  art  my  God,  I  will 
exalt  thee. 

29  O  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord; 
for  he  is  good :  for  his  mercy 
endurcfh  for  ever. 


22.  The    stone    the    builders     re- 

jected 
Is    become    the    head    of    the 
corner. 

23.  From     the     Lord     hath     this 

come ; 
It  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes. 

24.  This     is     the     day    the     Lord 

made. 
Let    us    rejoice    and    be    glad 

therein. 

25.  (People.)      Alas,    Lord,    save 

now  I 
Alas  Lord,  deliver  now  I 

26.  (Priests.)     Blessed  be  he  that 

cometh  in  the  Lord's  name ; 
We    have    blessed    you    from 
the  Lord's  house. 

27.  God  is  the  Lord  and  He  light- 

eneth    toward    us. 
(Bind  the  sacrifice  with  cords 
at   the   horns   of   the   altar.) 

28.  My  God  art  Thou,  and  I  give 

Thee  thanks. 
My   God,   I    will   exalt   Thee. 

29.  Give  thanks  to  the  Lord,   for 

He  is  good 
For    everlasting    is    His    love. 


A  Great  Processional 

This  is  a  thank  offering  hymn  for  use  at  the  sacrifices  of  a 
haj,  or  pilgrim  festival.  In  the  Greek  it  commences  with  a 
hallelu-Yah,  and  it  was  counted  in  later  times  certainly  a  part 
of  the  hallel.  This  addition  of  an  eighth  Psalm  to  the  existing 
seven  of  that  liturgy  is  in  line  with  the  addition  of  an  eighth 
day  to  the  seven-day  festivals,  which  we  see  in  process  in 
the  Priest  Code.  It  belongs  to  the  same  school  as  the  three 
preceding  Psalms,  especially  115,  with  which  it  has  the  closest 
affinities.  It  uses  and  develops  more  elaborately  the  brief, 
litany-like  responses  first  used  in  that  Psalm.  Like  24,  68, 
42-43  and  84  it  is  a  processional,  but  more  elaborate  than  any  of 
these.  Apparently  there  were  no  sacrifices  during  the  proces- 
sion, as  in  the  case  of  42,  43,  and  84,  but  only  at  the  close. 
There  are  no  indications  of  the  precise  route  of  the  procession, 
as  in  those  Psalms,  but  it  is  clear  that  from  some  point  with- 
out it  entered  Zion,  David's  city,  and  proceeded  to  the  south 
gate  of  the  Temple,  and  through  that  into  the  Temple  court. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  427 

The  procession  began  without  the  walls,  pilgrims  forming  with 
the  levitical  choir  (3),  and  marching  through  the  city  (15) 
and  into  the  Temple  (20)  to  receive  the  priestly  blessing  (26) 
and  offer  the  thank  offering.  It  commences  (1)  with  the  old 
sacrificial  thank  offering  cry  (cf,  106^),  which  forms  a  sort 
of  caption  to  the  Psalm,  and  closes  with  the  same  cry  at  the 
sacrifice  of  the  thank  offering  at  the  altar  (27-29).  The  first 
thank  offering  cry  (1)  is  developed  into  a  responsive  praise 
song  (2-4)  on  the  model  of  115^"^^.  The  now  in  these  verses 
represents  a  resonant  syllable  introduced  in  the  Hebrew  for 
singing  effect  (cf.  116).  The  succeeding  verses  (5-12),  sim- 
ilarly responsive,  have  behind  them  particularly  Ps.  18.  So, 
cf.  for  V.  5,  18^^;  but  instead  of  the  simple  word  straits  used 
in  18  our  Psalmist  has  used  the  same  rare  derivative  which 
we  had  in  116^,  and  which  I  there  rendered  anguish.  Verse 
6  uses  56  ®'  ^S  and  verse  7,  54  *' ''.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that, 
like  115  and  116,  this  Psalm  utilizes  of  the  pre-exilic  Psalter 
the  Davidic  song  books,  and  indeed  the  Psalm  is  a  recall 
to  David,  telling  of  his  victories  as  a  prophecy  of  the  future 
triumph  of  ransomed  Israel.  For  the  thought  of  9  and  10 
cf.  116  and  62;  and  for  10  also  18^°.  Cut  them  off  (10-12), 
literally  cut  off  their  fore-skins,  a  reference  to  the  story  of 
David's  treatment  of  the  Philistines  in  Saul's  wars,  where  the 
foreskins  were  taken,  much  as  the  American  Indians  took  the 
scalps  of  their  foes.  In  general  the  thought  is  borrowed  from 
David's  Psalm  of  victory  over  all  the  surrounding  nations. 
Psalm  18  *°  °.  Here,  as  in  the  preceding  Psalm,  great  emphasis 
is  laid  on  the  Name;  and  throughout  this  Psalm  the  ancient 
form  Yah,  handed  down  in  proper  names  and  liturgical  for- 
mulae, is  used  freely  along  witli  the  later  longer  form  Yahaweh 
of  common  use,  an  intentional  archaism.  For  verse  12  cf. 
restoration  of  Israel,  chastened  almost  to  the  point  of  death 
Dt.  1  **.  Verse  14,  as  also  21  and  28,  is  derived  from  the 
oldest  of  all  the  great  Hebrew  victory  Psalms,  Ex.  15  ',  and, 
used  thus  recurrently,  is  intended  to  carry  the  thought  back- 
ward beyond  David's  triumphs  to  the  deliverance  from  the 
first  captivity  when  the  nation,  so  near  destruction,  was  de- 
livered from  Egypt  by  divine  power.  As  by  God's  hand  the 
nation  as  good  as  dead  was  then  brought  to  life  and  came 
to  be  the  mighty  kingdom  of  David,  victorious  over  all  the 
peoples  surrounding  it,  so  now  Israel,  restored  from  the  death 
of    the    Babylonian    captivity,    shall    rise    to    similar    greatness. 


428  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

Salvation,  the  same  word  rendered  victory  in  vv.  15,  16.  It 
means  both.  Dwellings  of  the  righteous  (15),  this  verse  may 
be  a  rubric  indicating  the  passage  of  the  procession  through 
David's  city  of  Zion;  in  any  case  it  indicates  the  passage  of 
the  procession  through  Zion  up  to  the  south  gate  of  the  Tem- 
ple (cf.  84).  Righteous  and  righteousness  (Heb.  root  Zedek) 
were  designations  of  Zion  and  more  specifically  of  the  Temple 
(19),  cf.  Is.  12^  26  2,  jer.  31=3^  50 '.  Cf.  also  the  use  of 
Zedek  in  the  names  of  the  ancient  pre-Israelitic  kings  of 
Jerusalem,  Melchizedck  (Gen.  14  ^®),  Adonizedek  (Jos.  10,  ^'^). 
As  they  pass  through  David's  city  the  great  victory  cry  is  sung 
(15,  16),  as  though  of  David  himself.  Verses  17,  18,  a 
familiar  picture  in  the  post-exilic  pilgrim  liturgies  of  the 
but  now  restored  to  life  (cf.  116  ^  107").  Verses  19,  20, 
the  summons  and  permission  to  the  righteous  to  enter  the 
Temple  (cf.  24,  also  84^^).  Upon  entrance  a  song  of  thanks- 
giving (21-24)  for  the  wonderful  answer  to  Israel's  prayers 
and  their  salvation  thereby,  with  reference  to  the  Temple,  re- 
built on  and  out  of  the  ancient  stones  which  had  been  cast 
down  or  rejected.  The  nation  is  compared  to  a  similar  ruin 
out  of  which  it  has  been  made  in  God's  marvelous  providence 
the  cornerstone  of  a  new  order  in  the  world,  so  that  this  day 
is  like  the  first  Sabbath  (Gen.  2  ^~^),  when  God  has  completed 
His  acts  of  creation,  a  day  of  rejoicing  and  gladness.  Then 
follows  an  alas  (cf.  116),  preparatory  to  the  sacrifice,  very 
much  as  Christian  liturgies  preface  the  actual  celebration  of  the 
Sacrament  with  penitence,  prayers  of  humble  access  and  the 
like  (25).  After  this,  the  priestly  benediction  from  the  House 
(26,  cf.  Ex.  9"),  the  fire  cry  (27,  cf.  1  K.  18^9),  and  the 
ritual  call  of  the  thank  offering  (28,  29).  Verse  27''  is  clearly 
the  remnant  of  a  rubric,  directing  the  sacrifice  at  this  point, 
but  by  later  misunderstanding  corrupted  and  made  part  of  the 
hymn.  The  word  used  for  sacrifice  here  is  haj,  meaning  orig- 
inally a  pilgrim  festival.  For  its  use  in  later  time  for  sac- 
rifices at  the  pilgrim  festivals,  cf.   Mai.  2  ^. 

This  Psalm  is  abundantly  quoted  or  used  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment: verse  6  in  Heb.  13  ^  22  in  Mat.  21*-,  Mk.  12  ^o- ", 
Lk.  20  ^  Acts  4",  Eph.  2=",  1  Pt.  2*';  26  in  Matt.  21  ^  33'^. 
Mk.  11  »,  Lk.  13  3^  19  3«,  Jn.  12  ".  It  has  an  interesting  record 
of  historical  uses  and  applications  in  the  Christian  Church. 
John  Wyclif's  reputed  words  as  he  lay  dying  at  Lutterworth 
in  1384  were  an  adaptation  of  verse  17:     "I  shall  not  die,  but 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


429 


live,  and  declare — the  evil  deeds  of  the  friars."  Verse  23  is 
said  to  have  been  Oueen  Elizabeth's  comment  when  she  was 
informed  of  the  death  of  Mary.  24,  25  were  chanted  by  the 
Huguenots  on  their  knees  before  the  battle  of  Courtras.  26 
was  chanted  when  Charlemagne  and  Pope  Hadrian  entered 
the  Basilica  of   Constantine  together,  April  2,  774. 


CXIX 


Aleph 

BLESSED    are   the   undefiled   in 
the     way,    who    walk    in    the 
law  of   the   Lord. 

2  Blessed  are  they  that  keep 
his  testimonies,  and  that  seek  him 
with  the  whole  heart. 

3  They  also  do  no  iniquity:  they 
walk  in   his   ways. 

4  Thou  hast  commanded  us  to 
keep  thy  precepts   diligently. 

5  O  that  my  ways  were  directed 
to    keep    thy    statutes ! 

6  Then  shall  I  not  be  ashamed, 
when  I  have  respect  unto  all  thy 
commandments. 

7  I  will  praise  thee  with  upright- 
ness of  heart,  when  I  shall  have 
learned  thy  righteous  Judgments. 

8  I  will  keep  thy  statutes :  O 
forsake   me   not  utterly. 

Beth 

9  Wherewithal  shall  a  young 
man  cleanse  his  way?  by  taking 
heed  thereto  according  to  thy 
word. 

10  With  my  whole  heart  have 
I  sought  thee:  O  let  me  not 
wander   from   thy  commandments. 

11  Thy  word  have  I  hid  in  mine 
heart,  that  I  might  not  sin  against 
thee. 

12  Blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord: 
teach  me  thy  statutes. 

13  With  my  lips  have  I  declared 
all  the  judgments  of  thy  mouth. 

14  I  have  rejoiced  in  the  way 
of  thy  testimonies,  as  much  as  in 
all  riches. 

15  I  will  meditate  in  thy  pre- 
cepts, and  have  respect  unto  thy 
ways. 


Aleph 

1.  All  hail  to  the  blameless  of 

way,  who  walk  in  the  law 
of  the  Lord. 

2.  All    hail    to    them    that    keep 

His    testimonies,    that    seek 
Him  with  all  their  heart; 

3.  Aye,  who  have  not   wrought 

evil,    who    have    walked    in 
His  ways    (word). 

4.  Above    all    to    be    kept    hast 

Thou  commanded  Thy  be- 
hests. 
6.     Ah,  that  my  ways  were  set  to 
keep  Thy  statutes  1 

6.  Ashamed  shall  I  never  be,  if 

I  regard  all  Thy  commands. 

7.  As     I     learn    Thy     righteous 

judgments,    I    praise    Thee 
with  upright  heart. 

8.  Altogether    forsake    me    not, 

who  keep  Thy  statutes  1 

Beth 

9.  By  what  shall  a  youth  cleanse 

his  path?     By  heeding  Thy 
word. 

10.  By  all  my  heart  I  sought  thee, 

let  me  not  stray  from  Thy 
comi.;andments. 

11.  By  my  heart  I  hid  Thy  saying, 

lest    I    should    sin    against 
Thee. 

12.  Blessed      art      Thou,      LordI 

Teach  me  Thy  statutes. 

13.  By    my    lips    I    recounted    all 

the      judgments      of      Thy 
mouth. 

14.  By    the    way    of    Thy    testi- 

monies    I     found     joy,     as 
much  as  in  all  riches. 

15.  By   Thy  behests    I   make   my 

meditation,   and   Thy  paths 
I  regard. 


430 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


me     reproach 
I    have    kept 


16  I  will  delight  myself  in  thy 
statutes :  I  will  not  forget  thy 
word. 

Gimel 

17  Deal  bountifully  with  thy 
servant,  that  I  may  live,  and  keep 
thy  word. 

18  Open  thou  mine  eyes,  that  I 
may  behold  wondrous  things  out 
of  thy  law. 

19  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth : 
hide  not  thy  commandments  from 
me. 

20  My  soul  breaketh  for  the 
longing  that  it  hath  unto  thy  judg- 
ments at  all  times. 

21  Thou  hast  rebuked  the  proud 
that  are  cursed,  which  do  err  from 
thy    commandments. 

22  Remove  from 
and  contempt ;  for 
thy    testimonies. 

23  Princes  also  did  sit  and  speak 
against  me :  but  thy  servant  did 
meditate  in  thy  statues. 

24  Thy  testimonies  also  are  my 
delight,    and    my    counsellors. 

Daleth 

25  My  soul  cleaveth  unto  the 
dust :  quicken  thou  me  according 
to   thy  word. 

26  I  have  declared  my  ways,  and 
thou  heardest  me :  teach  me  thy 
statutes. 

27  Make  me  to  understand  the 
way  of  thy  precepts :  so  shall  I 
talk  of  thy  wondrous  works. 

28  My  soul  melteth  for  heavi- 
ness :  strengthen  thou  me  according 
unto  thy  word. 

29  Remove  from  me  the  way  of 
lying:  and  grant  me  thy  law 
graciously. 

30  I  have  chosen  the  way  of 
truth:  thy  judgments  have  I  laid 
before  me. 

31  I  have  stuck  unto  thy  testi- 
monies :  O  Lord,  put  me  not  to 
shame. 

32  I  will  run  the  way  of  thy 
commandments,  when  thou  shalt 
enlarge  my  heart. 


16.  By    Thy    statutes    I    find    de- 

light ;    Thy    word    I    forget 
not. 

Gimel 

17.  Care  for  Thy  servant,  that  I 

may  live;  so  will  I  keep 
Thy  word. 

18.  Clear  mine  eyes,  that   I   may 

behold  wonders  out  of  Thy 
law. 

19.  Conceal    not    Thy    command- 

ments from  me,  for  a 
sojourner  on  earth  am  I. 

20.  Crushed    with    longing   is    my 

soul  for  Thy  judgments  all 
the  time. 

21.  Confounded    hast    Thou    the 

proud ;  cursed  are  they  that 
stray  from  Thy  command- 
ments. 

22.  Cast    off    from    me    reproach 

and  shame,  for  I  have  kept 
Thy  testimonies. 

23.  Conspired  have  princes  against 

me ;  Thy  servant  museth 
on  Thy  statutes. 

24.  Counsellors  unto  me,  my  de- 

light also,  are  Thy  testi- 
monies. 

Daleth 

25.  Down   in   the   dust   lieth    my 

soul ;  quicken  me  after  Thy 
word. 

26.  Declared     I     my     ways,     and 

Thou  answeredst  me ;  teach 
me  Thy  statutes. 

27.  Direct  me  in  the  way  of  Thy 

behests,  so  will  I  muse  on 
Thy  wonders. 

28.  Drop  I  tears  from  heaviness, 

raise  me  up  after  Thy  word. 

29.  Divert    from  me  the   way   of 

falsehood,  and  graciously 
grant  me  Thy  law. 

30.  Deeds  of  faithfulness  I  have 

chosen,  I  set  before  me 
Thy    judgments. 

31.  Do    not    put    me    to    shame, 

Lord,  I  have  cleaved  to 
Thy  testimonies. 

32.  Dost  Thou  enlarge  my  heart, 

so  will  I  run  in  the  way 
of  Thy  commandments. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


431 


He 

33  Teach  me,  O  Lord,  the  way 
of  thy  statutes ;  and  I  shall  keep 
it  unto  the  end. 

34  Give  me  understanding,  and 
I  shall  keep  thy  law ;  yea,  I  shall 
observe  it  with  my  whole  heart. 

35  Make  me  to  go  in  the  path  of 
thy  commandments;  for  therein  do 
I  delight. 

36  Incline  my  heart  unto  thy 
testimonies,  and  not  to  covetous- 
ness. 

37  Turn  away  mine  eyes  from 
beholding  vanity ;  and  quicken  thou 
me   in   thy   way. 

38  Stablish  thy  word  unto  thy 
servant,  who  is  devoted  to  thy 
fear. 

39  Turn  away  my  reproach 
which  I  fear:  for  thy  judgments 
are  good. 

40  Behold,  I  have  longed  after 
thy  precepts :  quicken  me  in  thy 
righteousness. 

Vau 

41  Let  thy  mercies  come  also 
unto  me,  O  Lord,  even  thy  salva- 
tion,   according    to    thy    word. 

42  So  shall  I  have  wherewith 
to  answer  him  that  reproacheth 
me :    for    I    trust    in    thy    word. 

43  And  take  not  the  word  of 
truth  utterly  out  of  my  mouth; 
for  I  have  hoped  in  thy  judgments. 

44  So  shall  I  keep  thy  law  con- 
tinually for  ever  and  ever. 

45  And  I  will  walk  at  liberty: 
for    I    seek   thy    precepts. 

46  I  will  speak  of  thy  testi- 
monies also  before  kings,  and  will 
not    be    ashamed. 

47  And  I  will  delight  myself  in 
thy  commandments,  which  I  have 
loved. 

48  My  hands  also  will  I  lift  up 
unto  thy  commandments,  which  I 
have  loved ;  and  I  will  meditate 
in   thy  statutes. 

Zain 

49  Remember  the  word  unto  thy 
servant,  upon  which  thou  hast 
caused   me  to  hope. 


He 

33.  Educate    me    in    the   way    of 

Thy  statutes,  Lord,  so  will 
I  keep  it  to  the  last. 

34.  Enlighten  me,  so  will  I  keep 

Thy  law,  and  observe  it 
with  all  my  heart. 

35.  Enable    me    to    walk    in    the 

track  of  Thy  command- 
ments, for  therein  do  I 
delight. 

36.  Eager    for    Thy    testimonies 

make    my    heart,    and    not 
for  gain. 
37.     Ever     turn     mine     eyes     from 
sight    of   evil ;    quicken    me 
in  Thy  way   (word). 

38.  Establish    unto    Thy    servant 

Thy  saying,  which  leadeth 
unto  Thy  fear, 

39.  Ever  turn  away  mv  reproach 

that  I  dread,  for  Thy  judg- 
ments are  good. 

40.  Exceedingly   I   long   for   Thy 

behests ;  by  Thy  righteous- 
ness quicken  me. 

Wau 

41.  For  let  Thy  love  come  unto 

me.  Lord,  Thy  salvation 
according  to  Thy  saying. 

42.  For   my   revilers    shall    I   an- 

swer, because  I  trust  in 
Thy    word. 

43.  For    snatch    not    utterly    the 

word  of  truth  from  my 
mouth,  because  on  Thy 
judgments    have    I    hoped. 

44.  For  constantly  would  I  keep 

Thy  law,  for  ever  and  aye. 

45.  For   I    would   walk   at    l^arge, 

because  I  sought  Thy  be- 
hests. 

46.  For    I    would    speak    of    Thy 

testimonies  before  Kings, 
and   not   be   ashamed. 

47.  For    in    Thy    commandments 

is  my  delisrht,  which  I  love. 

48.  For  unto  Thy  commandments 

lift  I  up  my  hands,  and 
muse    on    Thy    statutes. 

Zain 

49.  Give    Thv    servant    fulfilment 

of  Thy  word,  wherein 
Thou  hast  made  me  hope. 


432 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


50  This    is    my    comfort    in    my 

affliction:      for      thy      word      hath 
quickened    me. 

51  The  proud  have  had  me 
greatly  in  derision:  yet  have  I  not 
dechned  from  thy  law. 

52  I  remembered  thy  judgments 
of  old,  O  Lord;  and  have  com- 
forted   myself. 

53  Horror  hath  taken  hold  upon 
me  because  of  the  wicked  that  for- 
sake  thy   law. 

54  Thy  statutes  have  been  my 
songs  in  the  house  of  my  pilgrim- 
age. 

55  I  have  remembered  thy  name, 

0  Lord,    in    the    night,    and    have 
kept  thy  law. 

56  This  I  had,  because  I  kept 
thy  precepts. 

Cheth 

57  Thou  art  my  portion,  O  Lord  : 

1  have  said  that  I  would  keep  thy 
words. 

58  I  entreated  thy  favour  with 
my  whole  heart:  be  merciful  unto 
me  according  to  thy  word. 

59  I  thought  on  my  ways,  and 
turned  my  feet  unto  thy  testi- 
monies. 

60  I  made  haste,  and  delayed 
not  to  keep  thy  commandments. 

61  The  bands  of  the  wicked  have 
robbed  me:  but  I  have  not  for- 
gotten thy  law. 

62  At  midnight  I  will  rise  to 
give  thanks  unto  thee  because  of 
thy    righteous    judgments. 

63  I  am  a  companion  of  all 
them  that  fear  thee,  and  of  them 
that  keep  thy  precepts. 

64  The  earth,  O  Lord,  is  full  of 
thy  mercy:   teach   me  thy  statutes. 

Teth 

65  Thou  hast  dealt  well  with  thy 
servant,  O  Lord,  according  unto 
thy   word. 

66  Teach  me  good  judgment  and 
knowledge :  for  I  have  believed  thy 
commandments. 


50.  Grief  was  thus  assuaged  for 

me,  that  Thy  saying  quick- 
ened   me. 

51.  Greatly    have    the    proud    re- 

viled   me,    from    Thy   law    I 
swerved  not. 

52.  Giving  thought  to  Thy  judg- 

ments   of    yore.    Lord,    so 
was    I    comforted. 

53.  Glowing  wrath  seized  me  be- 

cause  of    the    wicked,    that 
forsake  Thy  law. 

54.  Goodly    music    to    me     were 

Thy   statutes    in   the   house 
of  my  pilgrimage. 

55.  Giving    thought    by    night    to 

Thy    name.    Lord,    so    kept 
I  Thy  law. 

56.  Gained    have    I    this,    for     I 

kept   Thy   behests. 

Heth 

57.  Having    for    my    portion    the 

Lord,  I  am  purposed  to 
observe  Thy  word. 

58.  Heartily     I     entreated     Thee, 

pity   me   after  Thy   saying. 

59.  Heed    have    I    given    to    my 

ways,  and  turned  my  feet 
to  Thy  testimonies. 

60.  Haste    I    made,    and    delayed 

not,  to  observe  Thy  com- 
mandments. 

61.  Have   entangled   me  cords  of 

the  wicked;  Thy  law  I  for- 
gat   not. 

62.  How    do    I    rise    at    midnight 

to  thank  Thee  for  Thy 
righteous   judgments. 

63.  Helper     am     I     of     all     that 

fear  Thee,   and   such  as  ob- 
serve Thy  behests. 

64.  How    hath    Thy    love.    Lord, 

filled  the  earth;  teach  me 
Thy  statutes. 

Teth 

65.  In      accordance      with      Thy 

word,  O  Lord,  Thou  hast 
dealt  well  with  Thy  ser- 
vant. 

66.  In  right  judgment  and  know- 

ledge instruct  me,  for  I 
have  believed  in  Thy  com- 
mandments. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


433 


67  Before  I  was  afflicted  I  went 
astray:  but  now  have  I  kept  thy 
word. 

68  Thou  art  good,  and  doest 
good :    teach    me   thy    statutes. 

69  The  proud  have  forged  a  lie 
against  me :  but  I  will  keep  thy 
precepts    with    my   whole    heart. 

70  Their  heart  is  as  fat  as 
grease :   but  I  delight  in  thy  law. 

71  It  is  good  for  me  that  I  have 
been  afflicted ;  that  I  might  learn 
thy    statutes. 

72  The  law  of  thy  mouth  is 
better  unto  me  than  thousands  of 
gold   and   silver, 

Jod 

73  Thy  hands  have  made  me 
and  fashioned  me :  give  me  under- 
standing, that  I  may  learn  thy 
commandments. 

74  They  that  fear  thee  will  be 
glad  when  they  see  me ;  because 
I    have   hoped   in   thy   word. 

75  I  know,  O  Lord,  that  thy 
judgments  are  right,  and  that  thou 
in    faithfulness   hast  afflicted  me. 

76  Let,  I  pray  thee,  thy  merciful 
kindness  be  for  my  comfort,  ac- 
cording to  thy  word  unto  thy 
servant. 

77  Let  thy  tender  mercies  come 
unto  me,  that  I  may  live :  for  thy 
law  is  my  delight. 

78  Let  the  proud  be  ashamed ; 
for  they  dealt  perversely  with  me 
without  a  cause :  but  I  will  medi- 
tate   in   thy   precepts. 

79  Let  those  that  fear  thee  turn 
unto  me,  and  those  that  have 
known    thy    testimonies. 

80  Let  my  heart  be  sound  in  thy 
statutes;    that    I    be    not    ashamed. 

Caph 

81  My  soul  fainteth  for  thy 
salvation :  but  I  hope  in  thy  word. 

82  Mine  eyes  fail  for  thy  word, 
saying,  When  wilt  thou  comfort 
me? 


67.  I   went   astray   before   I   was 

afflicted,  but  now  I  observe 
Thy   saying. 

68.  Indeed    Thou    art    good,    and 

doest  good;  teach  me  Thy 
statutes. 

69.  I  keep   Thy  behests   with   all 

my  heart,  the  proud  have 
besmeared  me  with  lies. 

70.  Impassive    like    fat    is    their 

heart;  I  delight  in  Thy  law. 

71.  It    is    good    for    me    that    I 

was  afflicted,  that  I  might 
learn    Thy    statutes. 

72.  I    esteem    the    law    of    Thy 

mouth  above  thousands  of 
gold    and    silver. 

Yodh 

73.  Let  me  understand  and  learn 

Thy  commandments,  whose 
hands  did  form  and  fashion 
me. 

74.  Let  them  that  fear  Thee  see 

me  and  be  glad,  for  on 
Thy  word  have  I  hoped. 

75.  Learned    have    I,    Lord,    that 

Thy  judgments  are  right; 
and  in  faithfulness  didst 
Thou  afflict  me. 

76.  Let  Thy  love  be  for  my  com- 

fort, after  Thy  saying  unto 
Thy  servant. 

77.  Let  thy  mercies  come  to   me 

that  I  may  live,  for  Thy 
law  is  my  delight. 

78.  Let    the    proud    be     shamed, 

because  they  have  slandered 
me ;  I  do  muse  on  Thy 
behests. 

79.  Let     them     that     fear     Thee 

turn  to  me,  even  such  as 
know    Thy    testimonies. 

80.  Let    my    heart    be    blameless 

in  Thy  statutes,  that  I  be 
not    ashamed. 

Kaf 

81.  My  soul  hath  pined   for  Thy 

salvation,  on  Thy  word 
have  I  hoped. 

82.  Mine    eyes    have    pined     for 

Thy  saying,  and  said, 
When  wilt  Thou  comfort 
me? 


434 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


83  For  I  am  become  like  a  bottle 
in  the  smoke ;  yet  do  I  not  forget 
thy    statutes. 

84  How  many  are  the  days  of 
thy  servant?  when  wilt  thou 
execute  judgment  on  them  that 
persecute  me? 

85  The  proud  have  digged  pits 
for  me,  which  are  not  after  thy 
law. 

86  All  thy  commandments  are 
faithful :  they  persecute  me  wrong- 
fully;  help   thou   me. 

87  They  had  almost  consumed 
me  upon  earth ;  but  I  forsook  not 
thy  precepts. 

88  Quicken  me  after  thy  loving- 
kindness  ;  so  shall  I  keep  the  testi- 
mony of  thy  mouth. 


Lamed 

89  For  ever,  O  Lord,  thy  word 
is   settled   in   heaven. 

90  Thy  faithfulness  is  unto  all 
generations :  thou  hast  estabHshed 
the  earth,  and  it  abideth. 

91  They  continue  this  day  ac- 
cording to  thine  ordinances :  for 
all   are   thy    servants. 

92  Unless  thy  law  had  been  my 
delights,  I  should  then  have 
perished    in    mine    affliction. 

93  I  will  never  forget  thy  pre- 
cepts :  for  with  them  thou  hast 
quickened  me. 

94  I  am  thine,  save  me ;  for  I 
have    sought    thy    precepts. 

95  The  wicked  have  waited  for 
me  to  destroy  me :  but  I  will  con- 
sider thy  testimonies. 

96  I  have  seen  an  end  of  all 
perfection :  but  thy  commandment 
is    exceeding   broad. 


Mem 
97  O  how   love  I  thy  law  I   it  is 
my  meditation  all  the  day. 


83.  Made       like       a       wine-skin 

shrivelled  by  smoke  though 
I  be,  Thy  statutes  I  for- 
gat  not. 

84.  My     days, — how     many     are 

they?  When  wilt  Thou  do 
judgment  on  Thy  servant's 
persecutors  ? 

85.  Miscreants    dug    pits    against 

me,  who  deal  not  after 
Thy  law. 

86.  Malignantly    they    persecuted 

me,  help  me ;  all  Thy  com- 
mandments are  faithful- 
ness. 

87.  Me   had   they   well-nigh   con- 

sumed in  the  land,  but  I 
forsook    not    Thy    behests. 

88.  Make    me    to    live    according 

to  Thy  love ;  so  shall  I 
observe  the  testimony  of 
Thy  mouth. 

Lamedh 

89.  No    end,   O    Lord,   hath   Thy 

word,  established  in  the 
heavens. 

90.  Numberless     ages      endureth 

Thy  truth  (saying).  Thou 
didst  fashion  the  earth 
that  it  standeth. 

91.  Now  by  Thy  judgments  they 

stand ;  for  all  things  are 
Thy   servants. 

92.  Now,   had   not   Thy   law   been 

my  delight,  I  had  perished 
in  mine  affliction. 

93.  Never     will     I     forget     Thy 

behests,  for  thereby  hast 
Thou  quickened   me. 

94.  Now,  for  that  I  have  sought 

Thy  behests,  Thine  am  I ; 
save  me. 

95.  Nefarious    men    have    waited 

against  me  to  destroy  me ; 
Thy  testimonies  I  con- 
sider. 

96.  Nought  so  perfect  but  I  have 

seen  the  end;  infinitely 
broad    Thy    commandment. 

Mem 

97.  O,  Lord,  how  love  I  Thy  law ! 

every  day  it  is  my  medita- 
tion. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


435 


98  Thou  through  thy  command- 
ments hast  made  me  wiser  than 
mine  enemies :  for  they  are  ever 
with   me. 

99  I  have  more  understanding 
than  all  my  teachers  for  thy 
testimonies  are  my  meditation. 

100  I  understand  more  than  the 
ancients,  because  I  keep  thy  pre- 
cepts. 

101  I  have  refrained  my  feet 
from  every  evil  way,  that  I  might 
keep  thy  word. 

102.  I  have  not  departed  from 
thy  judgments:  for  thou  hast 
taught    me. 

103  How  sweet  are  thy  words 
unto  my  taste  I  yea,  sweeter  than 
honey    to    my    mouth. 

104  Through  thy  precepts  I  get 
understanding:  therefore  I  hate 
every  false  way. 

Nun 

105  Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my 
feet,  and  a  light  unto  my  path. 

106  I  have  sworn,  and  I  will 
perform  it,  that  I  will  keep  thy 
righteous    judgments. 

107  I  am  afflicted  very  much: 
quicken  me,  O  Lord,  according 
unto   thy   word. 

108  Accept,  I  beseech  thee,  the 
freewill  offerings  of  my  mouth,  O 
Lord,  and  teach  me  thy  judgments. 

109  My  soul  is  continually  in 
my  hand:  yet  do  I  not  forget  thy 
law. 

110  The  wicked  have  laid  a 
snare  for  me :  yet  I  erred  not  from 
thy  precepts. 

111  Thy  testimonies  have  I  taken 
as  a  heritage  for  ever:  for  they 
are  the  rejoicing  of  my  heart. 

112  I  have  inclined  mine  heart 
to  perform  thy  statutes  always, 
even   unto   the   end. 

Samech 

113  I  hate  vain  thoughts:  but 
thy  law  do  I  love. 

14  Thou  art  my  hiding  place  and 
my  shield:   I  hope  in  thy  word. 


98.  Over  mine  enemies  Thy  com- 

mandments make  me  wise, 
for  they  are  ever  with  me. 

99.  Over  all  my  teachers  passeth 

my  skill,  for  Thy  testi- 
monies are  my   meditation. 

100.  Over   elders    passeth   my   un- 

derstanding, because  I  have 
kept  Thy   behests. 

101.  Out    of    every    evil    path    re- 

frained I  my  feet,  in  order 
to    observe    Thy    word. 

102.  Out     of     Thy     judgments     I 

swerved  not,  for  Thou  hast 
taught  me. 

103.  O  how  sweeter  to  my  palate 

Thy  sayings  than  honey  to 
my  mouth ! 

104.  Out    of    Thy    behests    get    I 

understanding,  therefore  all 
paths  of  falsehood  I  hated. 

Nun 

105.  Proved    hath    Thy    word    a 

lamp  to  my  feet,  and  a 
light  to  my  path. 

106.  Pledged     have     I,     and     will 

keep  the  same,  to  observe 
Thy    righteous    judgments. 

107.  Poignant     is     mine     affliction, 

Lord,  quicken  me  after  Thy 
word. 

108.  Prithee,     accept.     Lord,     the 

freewill  offerings  of  my 
mouth,  and  teach  me  Thy 
judgments. 

109.  Perpetually  is  my  life  in  my 

hands,  yet  forgat  I  not  Thy 
law. 

110.  Put  have  the  wicked  a  snare 

to  take  me,  but  from  Thy 
behests    I    erred    not. 

111.  Perpetual    heritage    are    Thy 

testimonies  unto  me,  for 
they  are  the  joy  of  my 
heart. 
112  Performance  of  Thy  statutes 
for  ever  and  aye,  thereto 
have  I  set  my  heart. 

Samekh 

113.  Knaves   I  hate,  but  Thy  law 

do   I   love. 

114.  Keep  and  shield  art  Thou  of 

mine ;  on  Thy  word  I  hope. 


436 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


115  Depart  from  me,  ye  evil 
doers :  for  I  will  keep  the  com- 
mandments of  my  God. 

116  Uphold  me  according  unto 
thy  word,  that  I  may  live:  and 
let  me  not  be  ashamed  of  my  hope. 

117  Hold  thou  me  up,  and  I 
shall  be  safe:  and  I  will  have 
respect  unto  thy  statutes  con- 
tinually, 

118  Thou  hast  trodden  down  all 
them  that  err  from  thy  statutes: 
for   their   deceit    is    falsehood. 

119  Thou  puttest  away  all  the 
wicked  of  the  earth  like  dross: 
therefore  I  love  thy  testimonies. 

120  My  flesh  trembleth  for  fear 
of  thee;  and  I  am  afraid  of  thy 
judgments. 

Ain 

121  I  have  done  judgment  and 
justice:  leave  me  not  to  mine 
oppressors. 

122  Be  surety  for  thy  servant 
for  good:  let  not  the  proud  op- 
press me. 

123  Mine  eyes  fail  for  thy  salva- 
tion, and  for  the  word  of  thy 
righteousness. 

124  Deal  with  thy  servant  ac- 
cording unto  thy  mercy,  and  teach 
me  thy  statutes. 

125  I  am  thy  servant ;  give  me 
understanding,  that  I  may  know 
thy   testimonies. 

126  It  is  time  for  thee.  Lord,  to 
work:  for  they  have  made  void 
thy   law. 

127  Therefore  I  love  thy  com- 
mandments above  gold ;  yea,  above 
fine   gold. 

128  Therefore  I  esteem  all  thy 
precepts  concerning  all  things  to  be 
right;  and  I  hate  every  false  way. 

PE 

129  Thy  testimonies  are  wonder- 
ful :  therefore  doth  my  soul  keep 
them. 

130  The  entrance  of  thy  words 
giveth  light;  it  giveth  understand- 
ing unto  the  simple. 


115.  Keep    far    from    me,    ye    evil 

doers,  that  I  may  observe 
the  commandments  of  my 
God. 

116.  Keep    me    alive    according   to 

Thy  saying,  and  make  me 
not  ashamed  of  my  hope. 

117.  Quicken    me    that    I    may    be 

saved,  and  gaze  on  Thy 
statutes     alway. 

118.  Quenched  hast  Thou  all  that 

stray  from  Thy  statutes, 
for   false  is  their  pretence. 

119.  Quite    hast     Thou    destroyed 

all  the  wicked  of  the  land 
like  dross ;  therefore  I  love 
Thy  testimonies. 

120.  Qualms   of   dread  have  made 

my  flesh  bristle,  and  I  am 
afraid    of    Thy    judgments. 

Ain 

121.  Right     and     judgment     have 

I  wrought,  leave  me  not  to 
mine  oppressors. 

122.  Ransom  Thy  servant  in  good- 

ness (according  to  Thy 
word)  ;  let  not  the  proud 
oppress   me. 

123.  Repine    mine    eyes    for    Thy 

salvation,  and  for  Thy 
righteous    saying. 

124.  Render     unto     Thy     servant 

after  Thy  love,  and  teach 
me    Thy    statutes. 

125.  Refresh     me.     Thy     servant, 

that  I  may  discern,  and 
know    Thy    testimonies. 

12o.  Reached  is  the  time  for  the 
Lord  to  act;  they  have 
made  void  Thy  law. 

127.  Rather     than     gold     or     fine 

gold  do  I  verily  love  Thy 
commandments. 

128.  Regarded     have     I     all     Thy 

behests      altogether,      every 
false  path  I  abhor. 
Pe 

129.  Since     Thy     testimonies     are 

wonderful,  therefore  have 
I  kept  them. 

130.  Simple  men  Thy  words  make 

wise,  the  opening  thereof 
giveth   light. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


437 


131  I  opened  my  mouth,  and 
panted :  for  I  longed  for  thy  com- 
mandments. 

132  Look  thou  upon  me  and  be 
merciful  unto  me,  as  thou  usest 
to  do  unto  those  that  love  thy 
name. 

133  Order  my  steps  in  thy  word : 
and  let  not  any  iniquity  have  do- 
minion over  me. 

134  Deliver  me  from  the  oppres- 
sion of  man :  so  will  I  keep  thy 
precepts. 

135  Make  thy  face  to  shine  upon 
thy  servant ;  and  teach  me  thy 
statutes. 

136  Rivers  of  waters  run  down 
mine  eyes,  because  they  keep  not 
thy    law. 

Tzaddi 

137  Righteous  art  thou,  O  Lord, 
and  upright  are  thy  judgments. 

138  Thy  testimonies  that  thou 
hast  commanded  are  righteous  and 
very  faithful. 

139  My  zeal  hath  consumed  me, 
because  mine  enemies  have  for- 
gotten  thy   words. 

140  Thy  word  is  very  pure: 
therefore    thy    servant    loveth    it. 

141  I  am  small  and  despised :  yet 
do    not    I    forget    thy    precepts. 

142  Thy  righteousness  is  an  ever- 
lasting righteousness,  and  thy  law 
is  the  truth. 

143  Trouble  and  anguish  have 
taken  hold  on  me :  yet  thy  com- 
mandments are  my  delights. 

144  The  righteousness  of  thy 
testimonies  is  everlasting:  give  me 
understanding,    and    I    shall    live. 

Koph 

145  I  cried  with  my  whole  heart; 
hear  me,  O  Lord:  I  will  keep  thy 
statues. 

146  I  cried  unto  thee;  save  me, 
and    I    shall    keep    thy   testimonies. 

147  I  prevented  the  dawning  of 
the  morninfr.  and  cried:  I  hoped 
in  thy  word. 


131.  So  longed  I  for  Thy  com- 
mandments, I  opened  wide 
my    mouth    and    panted. 

132.  Show  me  Thy  face  and  pity 
me,  according  to  judgment 
to  them  that  love  Thy 
name. 

133.  Stablish  my  steps  by  Thy 
saying,  and  let  no  evil  rule 
over  me. 

134.  Set  me  free  from  the  op- 
pression of  man,  so  will  I 
keep  Thy  behests. 

135.  Show  Thy  servant  the  light 
of  Thy  face,  and  teach  me 
Thy  statutes. 

136.  Showers  of  waters  mine  eyes 
shed,  for  that  men  observe 
not  Thy  law. 

Zadhe 

137.  Thou  art  righteous,  Lord, 
and  upright  are  Thy  judg- 
ments. 

138.  Thou  didst  command  Thy 
testimonies  in  righteous- 
ness, and  in  faithfulness 
exceedingly. 

139.  Therefore  hath  my  zeal  con- 
sumed- me,  for  that  my 
foes  forgot  Thy  words. 

140.  Tried  in  fire  is  Thy  saying 
greatly,  and  Thy  servant 
loveth    it. 

141.  Though  I  am  small  and 
despised,  Thy  behests  I 
forgat  not. 

142.  Thy  righteousness  is  right- 
eous for  ever,  and  Thy  law 
is    truth. 

143.  Trouble  and  distress  befell 
me.  Thy  commandments 
are  my  delight. 

144.  Thy  testimonies  are  righteous 
for  ever ;  give  me  under- 
standing,   that   I   may   live. 

Kof 

145.  Unto  Thee  with  all  my  heart 
I  cried ;  answer  me.  Lord, 
Thy  statutes  I  would  keep. 

146.  Unto  Thee  I  cried;  save  me, 
so  shall  I  observe  Thy 
testimonies. 

147.  Untimely,  before  dawn,  I 
call  for  help;  on  Thy  word 
I  hope. 


438 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


148  Mine  eyes  prevent  the  night 
watches,  that  I  might  meditate  in 
thy  word. 

149  Hear  my  voice  according  un- 
to thy  loving  kindness :  O  Lord, 
quicken  me  according  to  thy  judg- 
ment. 

150  They  draw  nigh  that  follow 
after  mischief :  they  are  far  from 
thy  law. 

151  Thou  art  near,  O  Lord;  and 
all  thy  commandments  are  truth. 

152  Concerning  thy  testimonies, 
I  have  known  of  old  that  thou  hast 
founded  them  for  ever. 

Resh 

153  Consider  mine  affliction,  rnd 
deliver  me :  for  I  do  not  forget  thy 
law. 

154  Plead  my  cause,  and  deliver 
me :  quicken  me  according  to  thy 
word. 

155  Salvation  is  far  from  the 
wicked :  for  they  seek  not  thy 
statutes. 

156  Great  are  thy  tender  mercies, 
O  Lord  :  quicken  me  according  to 
thy  judgments. 

157  Many  are  my  persecutors 
and  mine  enemies ;  yet  do  I  not 
decline  from  thy  testimonies. 

158  I  beheld  the  transgressors, 
and  was  grieved ;  because  they  kept 
not  thy  word. 

159  Consider  how  I  love  thy  pre- 
cepts :  quicken  me.  O  Lord,  accord- 
ing to  thy  lovingkindness. 

160  Thy  word  is  true  from  the 
beginning:  and  every  one  of  thy 
righteous  judgments  endureth  for 
ever. 

Schin 

161  Princes  have  persecuted  me 
without  a  cause :  but  my  heart 
standeth   in  awe  of  thy  word. 

162  I  rejoice  at  thy  word,  as  one 
that  findeth  great  spoil. 

163  I  hate  and  abhor  lying:  but 
thy  law  do  I  love. 


148.  Untimely,  mine  eyes  forestall 

the  night  watches,  to  muse 
on  Thy  saying. 

149.  Unto    my   voice   hearken,    ac- 

cording to  Thy  love;  Lord, 
quicken  me  after  Thy 
judgments. 

150.  Unprincipled  men  draw  nigh, 

who  are  far  from  Thy 
law; 

151.  Up,   be  Thou  nigh,  Lord,  all 

whose  commandments  are 
truth. 

152.  Until    everlasting    hast    Thou 

established  them ;  that 
learned  I  of  old  from  Thy 
testimonies. 

Resh 

153.  View      mine      affliction,     and 

rescue  me,  for  Thy  law  I 
forgat  not. 

154.  Vouchsafe       to       plead      my 

cause,  and  redeem  me; 
quicken  me  after  Thy  say- 
ing. 

155.  Very  far  from  the  wicked  is 

salvation,  because  they 
sought  not  Thy  statutes. 

156.  Verily,     Lord,     Thy     mercies 

are  many ;  quicken  me  after 
Thy  judgments. 

157.  Very     many     my     foes     and 

pursuers ;  from  Thy  testi- 
monies I  turned  not  away. 

158.  Vicious     men      I      saw     and 

loathed,  who  observed  not 
Thy  saying. 

159.  Visit    me.    for    I    have    loved 

Thy  behests ;  Lord,  quicken 
me  after  Thy  love. 

160.  Verity    is    the    sum    of    Thy 

word,  and  everlasting  all 
Thy    righteous    judgment. 

Sin 

161.  Without  cause  princes  perse- 

cuted me,  whose  heart 
standeth  in  awe  of  Thy 
word ; 

162.  With    joy     am     I     filled    be- 

cause of  Thv  saying,  as 
one  that  findeth  great  spoil. 

163.  Wanton     lying     I     hate     and 

abhor;  Thy  law  do  I  love; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


439 


164  Seven  times  a  day  do  I 
praise  thee,  because  of  thy  right- 
eous judgments. 

165  Great  peace  have  they  which 
love  thy  law :  and  nothing  shall 
offend  them. 

166  Lord,  I  have  hoped  for  thy 
salvation,  and  done  thy  command- 
ments. 

167  My  soul  hath  kept  thy  testi- 
monies ;  and  I  love  them  exceed- 
ingly. 

168  I  have  kept  thy  precepts  and 
thy  testimonies :  for  all  my  ways  arc 
before  thee. 

Tau 

169  Let  my  cry  come  near  before 
thee,  O  Lord  :  give  me  understand- 
ing according  to  thy  word. 

170  Let  my  suppHcation  come  be- 
fore thee :  deliver  me  according  to 
thy  word. 

171  My  lips  shall  utter  praise, 
when  thou  hast  taught  me  thy 
statutes. 

172  My  tongue  shall  speak  of  thy 
word :  for  all  thy  commandments 
are  righteousness. 

173  Let  thine  hand  help  me;  for 
I  have  chosen  thy  precepts. 

174  I  have  longed  for  thy  salva- 
tion, O  Lord  ;  and  thy  law  is  my 
delight. 

175  Let  my  soul  live,  and  it  shall 
praise  thee ;  and  let  thy  judgments 
help  me. 

176  I  have  gone  astray  like  a 
lost  sheep:  seek  thy  servant;  for 
I  do  not  forget  thy  commandments. 


164.  Withal   seven  times   a  day   I 

praise  Thee,  because  of  Thy 
righteous  judgments. 

165.  Who    loveth    Thy    law    hath 

great  prosperity,  and  for 
him   there  is   no   stumbling. 

166.  Waited  have  I  on  Thy  salva- 

tion. Lord,  for  Thy  com- 
mandments have  I  loved. 

167.  Well    have    I    observed    Thy 

testimonies,  which  I  greatly 
love. 

168.  Well    have    I    observed    Thy 

behests  (and  Thy  testi- 
monies), for  all  my  ways 
are  before  Thee. 

Tau 

169.  Yea,     let     my     shout     reach 

Thee,  Lord;  give  me  under- 
standing   after    Thy    word. 

170.  Yea,  let  my  prayer  come  be- 

fore Thee ;  rescue  me  after 
Thy    saying. 

171.  Yet  shall  my  lips  gush  forth 

with  praise,  because  Thou 
teachest    me    Thy    statutes. 

172.  Yet  shall  my  tongue  sing  of 

Thy  saying,  for  all  Thy 
commandments  are  right- 
eousness. 

173.  Yea  turned    I   after  Thy   be- 

hests, therefore  be  Thy  hand 
my  help. 

174.  Yearned  I  for  Thy  salvation. 

Lord,  Thy  law  was  my 
delight. 

175.  Yet    let    me    live    and    praise 

Thee,  whose  judgments  are 
my    help. 

176.  Yea,  seek  Thy  servant,  stray- 

ing like  a  lost  sheep,  for 
Thy  commandments  I  for- 
gat  not. 


A  Rosary  of  the  Law 

An  acrostic,  containing  in  order  the  twenty-two  letters  of  the 
Hebrew  alphabet  in  twenty-two  stanzas  of  eight  verses,  each 
letter  repeated  eight  times,  and  each  verse  containing  one  of 
the  eight  titles  of  the  Law:  viz.  word  (or  words),  saying, 
statutes,  judgments  (or  judgment),  law,  commandments,  tes- 
timonies, behests.     While  these  words  etymologically  and  his- 


440  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

torically  designate  certain  parts  or  aspects  of  the  Law,  they 
are  here  used  interchangeably  merely  as  titles  of  the  Law,  i.  e., 
the  Pentateuch.  There  are  a  few  cases  where  saying  would  be 
better  rendered  promise,  and  judgments,  custom  or  wont,  but 
for  regularity  we  have  used  the  same  translation  throughout. 
There  are  two  cases  in  which  zvay  has  been  used,  verses  3 
and  37,  apparently  by  the  scribal  interchange  of  similar  forms 
for  zvord ;  one  case,  in  verse  90,  where  truth  has  been  sub- 
stituted for  saying;  and  one  case,  verse  122,  where  goodness 
has  been  substituted  for  word.  There  are  only  five  stanzas  in 
which  all  five  temis  are  used  (teth  yodh,  kaf,  ain,  and  pe), 
In  17  stanzas  one  or  more  terms  are  omitted,  and  others  used 
twice.  In  very  few  cases,  apparently  through  scribal  error, 
the  same  verse  contains  two  terms.  Yahaweh  (Lord)  is  gen- 
erally used  once  in  each  stanza,  but  in  three  stanzas  (gimel, 
kaf  and  pe)  it  is  lacking;  in  five  (zain,  heth,  resh  and  tau) 
it  is  used  twice;  in  one  (kof)  three  times;  in  one  (samekh) 
Elohim  (God)  is  substituted.  All  this  is  in  accordance  with 
Hebrew  use  and  the  customary  irregularity  which  has  been 
noted  in  the  Introduction.  Apparently  the  scheme  contem- 
plated the  use  of  all  eight  titles  of  the  Law  in  each  stanza, 
one  in  each  verse,  and  of  the  name  of  Yahaweh  once  in  each 
staftza;  but  this  was  only  a  general  scheme  by  which  the 
Psalmist  did  not  bind  himself  in  detail.  Way  or  ways  is  used 
with  great  frequency  throughout  the  Psalm,  in  one  stanza 
(daledh)  five  times,  generally  in  the  sense  with  which  we  have 
become  familiar  of  religion,  here  the  religion  of  the  Law.  The 
second  person  is  used  throughout  in  reference  to  Yahaweh, 
thus  making  the  Psalm  a  continuous  address  to  Him,  with  the 
exception  of  verses  1-3,  115,  where  the  third  person  is  used. 
This  was  necessary  in  verses  1-3,  to  introduce  the  theme.  In 
115,  where  my  God  is  used,  the  reason  for  deviation  is  not 
clear.  The  Hebrew  and  Greek  texts  are  almost  identical, 
and  evidently  the  text  has  come  down  to  us  in  very  good 
shape. 

With  this  Psalm  we  may  be  said  to  come  into  a  new  re- 
ligious atmosphere.  The  Law,  i.  e.,  the  Pentateuch,  has  become 
representative  of  God;  to  it  are  ascribed  His  attributes,  and 
from  it,  as  from  God,  come  help  and  salvation.  The  Law 
and  God  are  used  almost  interchangeably,  and  the  Law  is 
well  on  the  road  towards  hypostatization.  Ethically  it  makes 
an  advance.     We  have  passed  over  almost  entirely   from   the 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  441 

Deuteronomic  attitude  of  emphasis  on  reward  and  punishment 
as  the  incentive  and  motive  of  the  observation  of  reUgion. 
The  Law  is  to  be  kept  primarily  because  it  is  the  representative 
of  God,  and  Israel's  allegiance  to  God  is  not  personal  but  legal, 
because  of  and  through  the  holy  and  righteous  Law.  It  must 
be  dated  some  time  after  the  adoption  of  the  Law  under 
Ezra,  and  for  reasons  connected  with  the  growth  of  the 
Psalms,  as  shown  in  Chronicles,  before  the  final  compilation 
of  that  book,  at  or  after  the  middle  of  the  4th  century  B.  C 

The  Psalm  uses  very  freely  thoughts  and  sometimes  phrases 
from  earlier  Psalms  and  from  the  Pentateuch,  and  it  appears 
to  have  had  a  great  influence  on  later  thought.  Without  exact 
quotations  we  have  numerous  elusive  reflections  of  its  phrases 
in  Chronicles  and  the  New  Testament  (cf.,  however,  75  with 
Heb.  12^°,  115  with  Mat.  7""^  116  with  Phil.  l^o).  in  the 
Greek  it  is  connected  with  the  preceding  collection  by  the 
prefix  of  a  halleln-Yah;  but  if  this  word  be  original  it  should 
presumably  be  appended  to  118,  not  prefixed  to  119.  The 
Psalm  is  scarcely  a  liturgy  in  the  sense  in  which  we  have 
used  that  term,  as  a  Psalm  intended  to  be  used  in  sacrificial 
service.  It  was  an  attempt  to  do  for  the  Law  what  had  been 
done  for  the  history  of  Israel  in  such  Psalms  as  88,  89,  and 
such  liturgical  collections  as  103-107;  and  may  have  been  and 
probably  was  sung  in  connection  with  sacrifices,  but  its  prin- 
cipal use  must  have  been  in  the  Synagogue  and  the  home.  It 
is  didactic,  but  it  is  also  very  devotional.  While  it  is  a 
national  hymn,  it  lends  itself  with  singular  efl^ect  to  the  re- 
ligion of  the  individual. 

Poetically  of  course  a  poem  on  such  a  scheme  can  not 
rank  high ;  it  is  a  stunt,  an  exhibition  of  a  somewhat  mechan- 
ical ingenuity.  We  have  some  forced  constructions  and  un- 
usual words  or  unusual  uses  of  words.  So  in  the  beth  stanza 
a  forced  use  of  the  preposition  be  to  furnish  the  b's,  which 
I  have  attempted  to  reproduce  by  a  similar  use  of  by;  and  in  the 
wan  stanza  the  reiterated  use  of  the  conjunction  zve,  which  I 
have  imitated  with  for.  As  the  Hebrew  letters  do  not  alto- 
gether correspond  in  value  with  our  letters  and  are  less  nu- 
merous I  have  allowed  myself  certain  liberties  in  arrangement, 
and  have  combined  in  one  the  similar  sounding  k  and  q.  I  have 
not  always  translated  as  literally  as  in  other  Psalms,  sometimes 
reversing  the  order  of  phrases  and  words,  and  occasionally 
paraphrasing   the   text;   but   because   in   attempting   to   comply 


442  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

with  the  scheme  of  the  Hebrew  Psalm  I  have  been  compelled 
to  face  the  same  problems  as  the  Psalmist,  I  venture  to  think 
that  my  translation  is  much  nearer  the  original  than  that  of 
the  Revised  Version. 

Verse  16,  both  n'ord  and  statues  used ;  there  is  a  similar 
doubling  of  behests  and  testimonies  in  168,  apparently  due  to 
the  corrupting  influence  of  the  preceding  line;  and  in  172  we 
have  both  saying  and  commandments.  30,  deeds  of  faithfulness, 
literally  way.  48,  whi^h  I  love,  omitted,  having  crept  in 
from  the  preceding  verse.  97  Lord,  from  the  Greek  text. 
.119,  land,  or  earth.  It  is  often  impossible  to  determine  which 
of  the  two  meanings  is  uppermost  in  the  Psalmist's  mind. 
139,  seal  of  Thime  house,  from  the  Greek  text.  164,  seven 
times  a  day,  does  not  probably  represent  actual  Hebrew  use 
at  that  time.  The  word  seven  was  taken  because  of  the  exi- 
gencies of  versification,  and  because  it  was  a  Hebrew  tradi- 
tional sacred  number.  116,  loved  for  did,  following  the  Greek. 
The  last  stnaza,  tau,  is  of  the  nature  of  a  praise  song. 


Lecture  VI.  The  Pilgrims  and  Afterwards— Pilgrim  Psalter- 
Dangers  of  the  Journey— The  City  of  God— Priestly  Addi- 
tions to  Pilgrim  Psalter— The  Last  Collection— Composite 
Psalms — A  Davidic  Liturgy — Incantation— Snare  Songs— A 
Singular  Composition — The  Tehillah — Acrostic  Introduction 
— The  Five  Praise  Songs. 

CXX— CXXXIV 

PILGRIM  PSALTER,  120-134 

Each  of  these  Psalms  is  headed:  Song  of  ascent,  i.  e.,  of 
the  going  up  to  the  pilgrim  feasts  at  Jerusalem.  Several  of 
them  (120,  124,  128,  131,  apparently  also  122,  123)  show 
marked  Babylonianisms,  i.  e.,  idioms  familiar  in  Babylonian, 
but  not  used  in  Hebrew,  and  indeed  in  two  cases  (120  ^  131  ^) 
wrongly  translated  in  the  English  version  because  of  their  un- 
intelligiblity  according  to  the  rules  of  Hebrew  syntax.  This 
is  evidence  of  their  composition  in  Babylonia  by  Jews  whose 
language  was  influenced  by  the  kindred  language  of  the  peo- 
ple among  whom  they  lived.  Similarly  the  Tel.  el-Amarna 
letters  written  in  Babylonian  show  Canaanite  influence  in  their 
idioms.  As  pointed  out  in  loco,  some  of  the  Psalms,  such  as 
120-122,  contain  also  local  references  indicating  their  use  on 
the  pilgrimage  from  Babylonia  to  Jerusalem  to  the  great 
festivals,  which,  as  we  learn  from  Neh.  1,  had  become  a  re- 
ligious practice  of  the  Captivity  as  early  as  the  middle  of  the 
5th  century  B.  C.  Most  of  them  (notably  129)  are  marked 
by  Aramaisms.  Aramean  was  the  language  of  the  Hebrew 
forefathers,  which  they  exchanged  for  an  Amorite  dialect  in 
Canaan.  From  the  north,  however,  Aramean  invaders  con- 
tinued to  press  down,  bringing  their  language  with  them. 
By  the  end  of  the  eighth  century  Aramean  was  the  common 
language  of  international  intercourse  (2  K.  18^®),  and  dockets 
on  Assyrian  and  Babylonian  tablets  show  us  that  by  that  time 
or  shortly  after  it  had  also  become  a  common  language  of 
commercial  intercourse.  By  the  middle  of  the  5th  century 
it  had  become  the  lingua  franca  of  all  hither  Asia,  and 
soon  thereafter  it   displaced   Hebrew   as   the   spoken  language 

443 


444  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

of    the  Jews.      Naturally   its    influence   was    greatest   on   Jews 
living    without    Judea,    and    on    the    common    people    as    over 
against    the    literati.      The    existence    of    Aramaisms    in    these 
Psalms,    therefore,    does    in   part    support    the    argument    from 
Babylonianisms  of   their   origin    in   Babylonia;    in   part   it   sug- 
gests  a   popular   origin,   that    they   were    folk    songs,   not   com- 
positions   of    the    literati.      This    latter    suggestion    is    further 
supported   by   the   tendency   to   resolve    forms,   to    substitute   a 
preposition  with  a  noun  for  the  direct  object,  a  particle  with 
an  auxiliary   for  the  simple  perfect,   etc.,   such  as  we  find  in 
French  as  over  against  Latin,  English  as  over  against  Anglo- 
Saxon,   a  sort   of   change   in  language   which   regularly   begins 
from    below    and    is    consummated    first    in    the    folk    speech. 
Further,   these   songs   are   curiously   naive   in   their  method   of 
expression,    and    simple    and    homely    in    their    figures.      They 
use,  moreover,  a  metre  unlike   the  conventional   Psalm   metres 
used   elsewhere,    marking   them   ofT    from   all    other   collections 
of  Psalms.     All  this  is  true  of  Psalms  120-131.     These  were, 
in  the  main  at  least,   folk  son;^s,  composed  and  sung  for  and 
by  the  pious  pilgrims   from  Babylonia  to  Jerusalem,  gathered 
into  a  collection  arranged  according  to  some   sort  of   scheme, 
provided  with  a  doxology  (131  ^),  and  designated  as  Songs  of 
ascent,  i.  e.,  pilgrim  songs.      Psalms   132-134  are  quite  differ- 
ent.     They  •  were    written    in    the    Temple,    by    or    under    the 
influence  of  the  priests,  and,   132  particularly,  in  conventional 
Psalm   metre.      They   represent   the   adoption   by   the   Levitical 
guild  of   singers   of   the  Pilgrim   Psalter   for  Temple  use,  and 
its    completion    and    adaptation    to    that    purpose.      The    date 
ad  quern  of  the  collection  is  fixed  by  the  quotations  in  Chron- 
icles of   Psalms   130,   132  as  not  later  than  a  little  after  350 
B.  C,  Chronicles  itself  dating  from  the  closing  part  of  the  4th 
century.     As   to  the  a  quo,   individual   Psalms   may,    from  all 
the    evidence    we    possess,    go    back    a    century    earlier.      They 
are  very  beautiful,  and  in  spite  of  or  perhaps  because  of  the 
fact  that  the  Captivity  of  which  they  sing  seems  to  us  rather 
a    sham   captivity,   a   voluntary    captivity    for    economic   reasons 
instead   of    a   servitude    in   a    foreign   land   by   force    majeure, 
singularly  full  of  human  appeal. 

It  would  appear   from   the  Talmud   that  this   collection  was 

sung   as    a   whole    at    the    Feast    of    Tabernacles    by    Levitical 

singers    standing   on    the    steps    between    the    outer    and    inner 

'  courts  of  the  Temple,  which  corresponded  in  number  with  the 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


445 


number  of  the  Pilgrim  Psalms.  From  the  time  of  Queen 
Salome-Alexandra  (78-69  B.  C),  the  nights  of  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles  were  celebrated  as  a  festival  of  water  drawing 
(cf.  Jn.  7"),  in  connection  with  which  these  Psalms  were 
supposed  to  have  been  sung. 


cxx 

A   Song   of   degrees. 


IN  my  distress  I  cried  unto  the 
Lord,  and  he  heard  me. 

2  Deliver  my  soul,  O  Lord,  from 
lying  lips,  and  from  a  deceitful 
tongue. 

3  What  shall  be  given  unto 
thee?  or  what  shall  be  done  unto 
thee,  thou  false  tongue? 

4  Sharp  arrows  of  the  mighty, 
with  coals  of  juniper. 

5  Woe  is  me,  that  I  sojourn  in 
Mesech,  that  I  dwell  in  the  tents 
of  Kedar! 

6  My  soul  hath  long  dwelt  with 
him  that  hateth  peace. 

7  I  am  for  peace :  but  when  I 
speak,  they  are  for  war. 


1.  Unto  the  Lord  in  my  distress 

I   called,   and   He   answered 
me. 

2.  Lord,    deliver    me    from    the 

lying    lip,    from    the    deceit- 
ful  tongue. 

3.  What  shall  be  given  thee,  and 

what  be  done  more  to  thee, 
deceitful  tongue? 

4.  Arrows       of       the       warrior 

sharpened,     with     coals     of 
broom. 

5.  Woe    is   me   that   I   journeyed 

through      Meshech,      abode 
among  the  tents  of   Kedar  I 

6.  Long    time    I    dwelt    with    the 

hater  of  peace. 

7.  When    I    would    speak   peace, 

they  were  for  battle. 


Lord,  Deliver 

This  is  the  song  of  the  pilgrim  thankful  for  deliverance  from 
the  perils  of  the  long  journey  from  Babylonia  through  hostile 
and  barbarous  peoples.  How  that  journey  was  dreaded  by 
peaceful  and  unwarlike  travelers  can  be  seen  from  Ezra  8  21-23. 
Ezra's  apprehension  of  enemies  along  the  Euphrates  route, 
the  halt  at  Hit  before  his  great  caravan  began  its  journey,  the 
emphasis  on  the  fact  that  they  had  no  armed  escort,  the  fasting 
and  supplication  to  God  for  protection  against  foes  along  the 
route.  This  represents  the  normal  condition  of  Euphrates 
travel.  I  found  it  so  in  my  time:  peaceful  caravans,  in  mortal 
terror  of  the  bedawin  marauders,  seeking  to  attach  themselves 
to  some  strong,  armed  or  escorted  caravan,  always  apprehen- 
sive of  attack,  alarmed  at  the  sight  of  an  Arab  encampment, 
only  free  from  tension  when  the  land  of  the  Arab  was  passed. 
The  Psalm  commences  (1)  with  a  free  citation  from  the  great 
David  Psalm  (18°),  the  cry  to  God  for  protection,  and  assur- 


446 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


ance  of  His  answer;  the  journey  thus  commencing  with  a  peni- 
tential act  (cf.  Ez.  8^^).  To  the  pilgrim  the  wandering,  plun- 
dering Arab  was  the  synonym  of  wile  and  treachery  (2,  3), 
just  as  the  red  Indian  was  to  the  Americans  of  earlier  genera- 
tions traveling  through  their  lands,  a  cursed  folk  whom  God 
should  punish.  Verse  4  sounds  like  the  answer  to  the  appeal 
of  V.  1,  and  as  the  appeal  was  derived  from  Ps.  18,  so  is  the 
answer.  God's  punishment  that  shall  befall  them  is  arrows 
of  the  mighty,  and  coals  of  broom,  in  place  of  the  thunderbolts 
of  David's  Psalm  (18^*^).  On  the  other  hand,  such  passages 
as  Jer.  9  ^"^,  Pr.  26  ^^,  Ps.  64  *  favor  the  understanding  of 
this  verse  as  an  interpretation  or  enlargement  of  the  preceding: 
treacherous  and  false,  none  ever  knew  when  from  some  covert 
they  would  let  fly  their  arrows,  with  points  hardened  and 
sharpened  in  the  coals  of  broom  which  made  the  fires  for 
their  smithies.  Then,  the  lamentation  over  the  journey 
through  wild  and  hostile  nomads  (verse  5).  Meshech  is  more 
properly  the  peoples  northward  in  Asia  Minor   (cf .   Gen.   10  ^, 

1  Chr.  1»,  Ez.  27^3),  but  it  is  also  used  by  Ezekiel  (38  2. », 
39 '^)  of  fierce  wandering  peoples  from  the  northeast,  associated 
with  Gog.  Here  it  appears  to  represent  the  nomads  threaten- 
ing from  the  north,  like  the  Turcomans  and  Kurds  of  the 
present  day,  while  Kedar    (cf .   Gen.  25  ^*,   Is.   21  ^^  60  ^,  Jer. 

2  ^°,  Ez.  27  ^^)  represents  the  Arabian  hordes.  With  a  change 
of  pointing  but  no  change  of  the  consonant  text  the  Greek 
reads:  Prolonged  (referring  to  the  great  length  of  the  jour- 
ney, see  Ezra)  was  my  sojourn  (or  journey),  /  abode  among 
the  tents  of  Kedar,  which  would  connect  well  with  the  thought 
of  the  succeeding  verse.  I  think,  however,  that  the  Hebrew 
text  is  preferable.  Verses  6-7  represent  the  peaceful  city 
dwellers'  conception  of  the  wild  and  warlike  sons  of  the  desert. 
When  he  gives  them  the  greeting  of  peace,  sala'am  aleikum, 
peace  be  unto  you,  they  may  respond  with  a  flight  of  arrows, 
or  a  charge. 


CXXI 

A   Song  of  degrees. 


I     WILL  lift   up   mine   eyes    unto 
the   hills,    from   whence  cometh 
my  help. 

2  My  help  cometh  from  the 
Lord,  which  made  heaven  and 
earth. 


1.  I    lift    up    mine    eyes    to    the 

hills. 
Whence   cometh   my  help? 

2.  My  help   is   from  the  Lord, 
Maker  of  heaven  and  earth. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


447 


3  He  will  not  suffer  thy  foot 
to  be  moved :  he  that  keepeth  thee 
will   not  slumber. 

4  Behold,  he  that  keepeth  Israel 
shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep. 

5  The  Lord  is  thy  keeper :  the 
Lord  is  thy  shade  upon  thy  right 
hand. 

6  The  sun  shall  not  smite  thee 
by  day,  nor  the  moon  by  night. 

7  The  Lord  shall  preserve  thee 
from  all  evil :  he  shall  preserve 
thy   soul. 

8  The  Lord  shall  preserve  thy 
going  out  and  thy  coming  in  from 
this  time  forth,  and  even  for  ever- 
more. 


3.  May    He    not    suffer   thy    foot 

to  be  moved ! 
May     He     not     slumber     that 
keepeth   thee ! 

4.  Behold,  the  keeper  of  Israel 
Shall      neither     slumber     nor 

sleep. 

5.  The   Lord  is  thy  keeper, 

The    Lord    thy    shade    on    thy 
right   hand  ; 

6.  The    sun    shall    not    hurt    thee 

by  day. 
Neither  the  moon  by  night. 

7.  The  Lord  keep  thee   from   all 

evil ! 
He  will  keep  thy  life. 

8.  The    Lord    keep    thy    coming 

and   thy   going 
Henceforth  and  for  ever ! 


The  Lord  Thy  Keeper 

The  relief  and  joy  at  the  sight  of  the  hills  on  this  journey 
appeal  to  all  who  have  made  it.  What  must  it  have  meant 
to  the  Jewish  pilgrim !  Danger  past,  the  goal  of  the  weary 
journey  almost  in  sight ;  among  those  hills  the  Holy  City,  the 
desire  of  his  heart,  the  abode  of  his  God,  the  source  of  his 
salvation !  The  pilgrims  would  naturally  leave  the  Euphrates 
at  or  about  Deir,  journeying  by  way  of  Palmyra  and  Damas- 
cus. Hills  would  first  appear  as  they  approached  Palmyra, 
until,  as  they  neared  Damascus,  mighty  Hermon,  the  northern 
outpost  of  the  Holy  land,  would  be  visible.  Verses  3-8  are 
vivid  with  the  life  of  the  march,  the  watch  at  nights  who  falls 
asleep,  the  sun  of  midday  whose  heat  is  so  intolerable,  and  the 
bitter,  bitter  cold  of  the  night,  when  the  moon  seems  to  exude 
frigidity.  Yahaweh  is  Israel's  unsleeping  night  watch,  and  his 
shelter  from  both  heat  and  cold,  to  guard  him  against  all  the 
terrors  and  ills  of  the  pilgrimage,  to  bring  him  safe  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  safe  back  again  to  his  Babylonian  home.  The 
shade  (5)  on  the  right  hand,  the  regular  position  of  God  as 
protector  in  battle.  Verse  2  is  a  familiar  Psalm  phrase,  cf. 
especially   115^';  and   for  3,  66  ^     With  5-7  cf.  91,  »-*•"-". 

This  was  a  favorite  battle  hymn  of  the  Covenanters  in 
Scotland  and  the  Cevenoles  in  France. 


448 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


CXXII 

A   Song   of   degrees   of   David. 


I   WAS  glad  when  they  said  unto 
me,    Let   us    go    into   the   house 
of   the   Lord. 

2  Our  feet  shall  stand  within 
thy    gates,    O    Jerusalem. 

3  Jerusalem  is  builded  as  a  city 
that   is  compact   together : 

4  Whither  the  tribes  go  up,  the 
tribes  of  the  Lord,  unto  the  testi- 
mony of  Israel,  to  give  thanks 
unto    the    name    of    the    Lord. 

5  For  there  are  set  thrones  of 
judgment,  the  thrones  of  the  house 
of  David. 

6  Pray  for  the  peace  of 
Jerusalem :  they  shall  prosper  that 
love  thee. 

7  Peace  be  within  thy  walls, 
and   prosperity  within   thy   palaces. 

8  For  my  brethren  and  com- 
panions' sakes,  I  will  now  say. 
Peace  be  within  thee. 

9  Because  of  the  house  of  the 
Lord  our  God  I  will  seek  thy  good. 


1.  Glad    was    I    when    they    said 

to    me. 
To    the    house    of    the    Lord 
let   us   go. 

2.  Our   feet   stand   in   thy   gates, 

Jerusalem ; 

3.  Jerusalem,     built    like    a    city 

that    is   compact   together, 

4.  Whither    the    tribes    of     Yah 

have  gone  up   (an  ordinance 
for  Israel), 
To   give   thanks   to   the  name 
of    the   Lord; 

5.  For    there    stood    the    thrones 

of    judgment, 
Thrones     of     the     house     of 
David. 

6.  Pray      for      the      peace      of 

Jerusalem : 
Let     them      that     love      thee 
prosper ! 

7.  Be  peace  on  thy  walls ; 
Prosperity  on  thy  palaces  1 

8.  For    my    brethren    and    com- 

panions'  sake. 
I     would     bespeak     peace     on 
thee. 

9.  For  the  sake  of  the  house  of 

the  Lord  our  God,  I  would 
seek  thy  welfare. 


To  the  House  of  the  Lord 

In  the  arrangement  of  the  Psalms  of  this  collection  120-122 
were  intentionally  placed  at  the  commencement,  and  in  such 
order  as  to  form  a  sequence,  indicating  the  pilgrim's  progress, 
through  the  dangers  of  the  wilderness  journey,  to  sight  of  the 
mountains  of  the  Holy  Land,  to  arrival  in  the  Holy  Land. 
Dramatically  this  Psalm  commences  (1)  with  the  summons 
to  the  pilgrimage  (cf.  Zech.  8-^),  jumping  from  this  to  the 
glad  arrival  in  the  holy  city  (2).  Then  the  admiring  descrip- 
tion of  the  compact  hill  town  (3),  so  unlike  the  cities  of  their 
Babylonian  home.  To  this  the  tribes  go  up,  according  to  their 
ancient  law  a  scribe  seems  to  have  added  as  a  gloss,  referring 
to  such  prescriptions  as  Dt.  16  ^^,  to  offer  the  thank  offerings 
(cf.    the   liturgies    103-107   and    111-118    in    loco).     Following 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


449 


the  Greek  we  have  omitted  one  of  the  tribes  as  a  scribal  dupli- 
cation. Then  follows  a  historical  reference  (5)  to  the  ancient, 
inherited  character  of  Jerusalem  as  the  royal  city  of  David 
and  his  line,  which  has  caused  some  scribe  to  prefix  to  the 
Psalm  the  ascription  to  David.  The  Psalm  closes  with  an 
almost  ecstatic  prayer  for  peace,  the  beautiful  old  greeting, 
peace  to  Jerusalem  and  its  walls,  prosperity  to  them  that 
inhabit  its  lofty  dwellings  (palaces),  not  only  for  themselves, 
but  in  the  name  of  their  kinsfolk  and  friends  left  behind, 
because  it  is  hallowed  by  the  presence  of  the  house  of  God 
(6-9).  Verses  6  and  7  are  arranged  for  answer  and  response. 
This  Psalm  was  chanted  day  by  day  by  the  Huguenots  from 
the  walls  of  Rochelle  as  the  assaults  of  the  Leaguers  were 
repulsed. 


CXXIII 

A    Song   of  degrees. 


UNTO  thee  lift  I  up  mine  eyes, 
O    thou    that    dwellest    in    the 
heavens. 

2  Behold,  as  the  eyes  of  servants 
look  unto  the  hand  of  their 
masters,  and  as  the  eyes  of  a 
maiden  unto  the  hand  of  her 
mistress;  so  our  eyes  zvait  upon 
the  Lord  our  God,  until  that  he 
have  mercy  upon  us. 

3  Have  mercy  upon  us,  O  Lord, 
have  mercy  upon  us :  for  we  are 
exceedingly    filled    with    contempt. 

4  Our  soul  is  exceedingly  filled 
with  the  scorning  of  those  that  are 
at  ease,  and  with  the  contempt  of 
the  proud. 


1.  To  Thee  lift  I  up  mine  eyes, 

O    Thou    that    dwellest    in 
heaven. 

2.  Behold,   as  the  eyes  of   slaves 

to  the  hand  of  their  masters. 
As  the  eyes  of  a  maid  to  the 

hand   of   her   mistress. 
So    our    eyes    are    upon    the 

Lord  our  God,  until  He  do 

pity   us. 

3.  Pity    us.    Lord,    pity    us  1    for 

we     have     been     full     filled 
with    contempt ; 

4.  Fully  have  we  been  filled  with 

the  mocking  of  the  arrogant, 
The  contempt  of  the  insolent. 


Pity  Us,  Lord 

The  cry  of  the  Jew  of  the  Captivity,  despised,  looked  down 
upon  fed  on  abuse  and  contumely  by  those  whom  he  in  his 
heart  despises,  appealin-  to  God  for  pity  on  this  occasion  of 
his  visit  to  Jerusalem,  and  proclaiming  his  fealty  to  Him 
in  a  language  borrowed  from  the  servile  submission  required 
of  him  in  Babylonia.  Verses  1,  3.  4  echo  old  familiar  Psalm 
thoughts  and  phrases;  cf.  2*,  79*. 


450 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


CXXIV 

A  Song  of  degrees  of  David. 


IF  it  had  not  been  the  Lord  who 
was     on    our    side,    now    may 
Israel  say ; 

2  If  it  had  not  been  the  Lord 
who  was  on  our  side,  when  men 
rose  up  against  us : 

3  Then  they  had  swallowed  us 
up  quick,  when  their  wrath  was 
kindled   against  us : 

4  Then  the  waters  had  over- 
whelmed us,  the  stream  had  gone 
over  our  soul : 

5  Then  the  proud  waters  had 
gone  over  our  soul. 

6  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  who  hath 
not  given  us  as  a  prey  to  their 
teeth. 

7  Our  soul  is  escaped  as  a  bird 
out  of  the  snare  of  the  fowlers : 
the  snare  is  broken,  and  we  are 
escaped. 

8  Our  help  is  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  who  made  heaven  and  earth. 


1.  Unless  the  Lord  had  been  for 

us. 
Now  let  Israel  say ; 

2.  Unless  the  Lord  had  been  for 

us. 
When    man    arose   against    us, 

3.  They  had   swallowed   us  alive. 
When    their    wrath    was    hot 

against   us ; 

4.  The   waters   had   overwhelmed 

us. 
The   torrent   had   passed   over 
us; 

5.  Over  us  had  passed  the  raging 

waters. 

6.  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  who  gave 

us  not  a  prey  to  their  teeth. 

7.  Like    a    bird    are    we,    escaped 

from    the    fowler's    snare ; 
The  snare   is  broken,   and   we 
are   escaped. 

8.  Our   help    is    in    the    name    of 

the   Lord, 
Maker    of    heaven    and    earth. 


The  Lord  For  Us 

The  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem  must  always  have  brought 
vividly  to  the  pilgrim's  mind  the  wonderful  deliverance  of 
His  people  from  destruction  by  the  help  of  Yahaweh.  The 
pilgrimage  was  a  continual  renewal  and  realization  of  the 
deliverance  from  Captivity,  inspiring  such  triumph  songs  as 
this.  Like  the  preceding  it  echoes  old  Psalm  thoughts  and 
phrases,  evidence  of  the  part  which  the  Psalms  played  in  the 
•life  and  thought  of  the  ordinary  Jew  everywhere.  Cf.  for 
1,  94  ^^  for  3,  35",  56  S  57  ^  for  4,  69^  for  5,  27';  for 
7,  91  ^.    8  is  almost  identical  with  121^. 

This  Psalm  is  sung  in  Geneva  on  every  anniversary  of  the 
Escalade,  when  the  almost  victorious  assault  of  the  Savoyards 
was  repulsed  on  the  night  of  Dec.  11,  1602. 

CXXV 

A   Song  of  degrees. 


THEY  that  trust  in  the  Lord 
shall  be  as  mount  Zion,  which 
cannot  be  removed,  but  abideth  for 
ever. 


1.    Who    trust    on    the    Lord    are 
like  Mount  Zion, 
Immovable,  abiding  ever. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


451 


2  As  the  mountains  are  round 
about  Jerusalem,  so  the  Lord  is 
round  about  his  people  from  hence- 
forth even  for  ever. 

3  For  the  rod  of  the  wicked 
shall  not  rest  upon  the  lot  of  the 
righteous;  lest  the  righteous  put 
forth  their  hands  unto  iniquity. 

4  Do  good,  O  Lord,  unto  those 
that  be  good,  and  to  them  that  are 
upright   in   their  hearts. 

5  As  for  such  as  turn  aside  unto 
their  crooked  ways,  the  Lord  shall 
lead  them  forth  with  the  workers 
of  iniquity;  but  peace  shall  be 
upon  Israel. 


2.  Jerusalem  hath  hills  about  her; 
And    the    Lord    is    about    His 

people, 
Henceforth  and   forever. 

3.  For    the    sceptre    of    ungodli- 

ness  resteth   not  on   the   lot 
of  the  righteous. 
Lest    the    righteous    put    forth 
their  hands  unto  evil. 

4.  Do     good,     O     Lord,     to     the 

good,  and  to  the  upright  of 
heart. 

5.  But   them    that   make   crooked 

their   way — 
The    Lord   maketh   them    walk 

with  the  idol  worshippers. 
Peace  be  upon  Israel ! 


Trust  in  the  Lord 

A  proudly  admiring  description  of  the  immovable  fortress 
hill  of  Zion,  girt  like  a  wall  by  hills  rising  in  a  circle  about 
it,  as  it  were  Yahaweh  walling  in  His  people.  Here  they 
are  free  from  the  contamination  of  the  godless  world  and  its 
idol  worship,  to  whose  temptations  they  were  continually  ex- 
posed in  Babylonia,  and  to  which  some  faithless  Jews  suc- 
cumbed. To  the  Jews  of  Babylonia,  living  under  the  imme- 
diate control  of  heathen  governors,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  land 
of  pagan  worship,  defiled  with  idols,  Jerusalem,  inhabited  by 
Jews  only,  and  where  there  was  no  worship  but  the  Jewish, 
must  have  seemed  like  an  entirely  different  land,  a  glimpse 
of  heaven,  the  lot  of  the  righteous,  in  which  the  sceptre  of 
ungodliness  could  not  make  itself  felt.  May  God  remember 
His  faithful  ones !  Those  that  yield  to  the  temptations  of 
Babylonia,  their  portion  shall  be  with  the  idol  worshippers. 
The  whole  ends  with  the  sweet  salutation  of  peace  to  Israel, 
of  which  these  Psalms  are  so  fond.  Like  the  preceding  it 
echoes  old  Psalm  thoughts.  Cf .  1  and  46  ^  4  and  101  ^  5  and 
92  ^.  2  uses  the  same  phrase,  from  this  time  forth,  etc., 
which  we  find  in  121  ^. 


CXXVI 

A   Song   of  degrees. 


WHEN   the   Lord   turned   again 
the     captivity     of     Zion, 
were   like   them   that    dream. 


we 


1.    When  the  Lord  brought  back 
the  captivity  of   Zion, 
We  were  like  dreamers : 


452 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


2  Then  was  our  mouth  filled 
with  laughter,  and  our  tongue  with 
singing:  then  said  they  among  the 
heathen,  The  Lord  hath  done  great 
things  for  them. 

3  The  Lord  hath  done  great 
things  for  us ;  -whereof  we  are 
glad. 

4  Turn  again  our  captivity,  O 
Lord,  as  the  streams  in  the  south. 

5  They  that  sow  in  tears  shall 
reap   in   joy. 

6  He  that  goeth  forth  and 
weepeth,  bearing  precious  seed, 
shall  doubtless  come  again  with 
rejoicing,  bringing  his  sheaves  w'xth 
him. 


2.  Then    our    mouth    was    filled 

with    laughter. 

And  our  tongue  with  sing- 
ing. 

Then  they  said  among  the 
nations : 

"The  Lord  wrought  great 
deeds    for  them." 

3.  The  Lord  wrought  great  deeds 

for  us. 
So    are    we   joyful. 

4.  Bring    back,     Lord,    our    cap- 

tivity, 
Like    torrents    in    the    South- 
land. 

5.  They     that     sowed     in     tears, 

reap     with     singing. 

6.  He  goeth  weeping  forth,  bear- 

ing seed   for  sowing; 
He    cometh    back    with    sing- 
ing, bearing  his  sheaves. 


Captivity  Brought  Back 

The  thought  is  in  general  like  that  of  123.  Captivity  was  the 
title  used  for  the  Jews  resident  in  Babylonia  for  centuries  after 
Cyrus  granted  permission  to  the  Jews  to  return.  The  ma- 
jority remained  in  Babylonia,  largely  by  their  own  choice, 
restrained  by  an  economic  bondage,  but  always  conceived  of 
themselves  as  held  in  captivity,  and  looked  to  the  day  when 
in  wealth  and  prosperity  all  Jews  might  assemble  again  in  the 
Holy  Land.  To  these  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem  was  a  return 
from  the  Captivity,  the  fulfilment  for  a  moment  of  their  dream, 
to  be  celebrated  with  joy  and  singing;  and  wonderful  not  alone 
in  their  eyes,  but  in  the  eyes  of  the  whole  world  must  this 
marvel  of  their  restoration  be.  But  it  is  not  yet  complete, 
and  hence  the  prayer  that  as  in  their  season  God  turns  the 
dry  zvadis  into  fertilizing  torrents  in  the  Nejeh,  the  steppe  land 
southward  toward  Beersheba,  so  in  His  due  time  He  will  bring 
the  whole  Captivity  back  in  a  flood;  and  for  the  tears  of 
their  suflfering  they  shall  reap  joy;  the  seed  they  fertilized 
with  weeping  shall  bear  a  rich  harvest  of   reward. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


453 


CXXVII 

A  Song  of  degrees  for  Solomon. 


EXCEPT  the  Lord  build  the 
house,  they  labour  in  vain 
that  build  it :  except  the  Lord  keep 
the  city,  the  watchman  waketh  but 
in  vain. 

2  It  is  vain  for  you  to  rise  up 
early,  to  sit  up  late,  to  eat  the 
bread  of  sorrows:  for  so  he  giveth 
his  beloved  sleep. 

3  Lo,  children  are  a  heritage  of 
the  Lord:  and  the  fruit  of  the 
womb  is  his  reward. 

4  As  arrows  are  in  the  hand  of 
a  mighty  man;  so  are  children  of 
the  youth. 

5  Happy  t.f  the  man  that  hath 
his  quiver  full  of  them:  they  shall 
not  be  ashamed,  but  they  shall 
speak  with  the  enemies  in  the  gate. 


1.  Except    the    Lord    build    the 

house, 
They  labor  in  vain  that  build 

it. 
Except    the    Lord    watch    the 

city. 
In  vain  the  watchman  waketh, 

2.  In   vain   ye    rise    up   early. 
And   late  take   rest, 

Eating    the    bread    of    toiling; 
While  He  giveth  His  beloved 
sleep. 

3.  Lo,    children    are    an    heritage 

of    the    Lord, 
The    fruit    of    the    womb    a 
reward. 

4.  Like   arrows    in    the    warrior's 

hand, 
Such     are     the     children     of 
youth. 

5.  Happy  the  man  whose  quiver 

is    full   of   them ; 
Such     are     not     ashamed     to 
meet     the     foemen     in     the 
gate. 


The  Gifts  of  God 

This  Psalm  is  composed  of  two  quite  unrelated  brief  hymns, 
1,  2  and  3-5.  The  former  expresses  a  beautiful  but  almost 
fatalistic  faith  in  the  support  and  help  of  Yahaweh  as  over 
against  human  endeavor.  The  other  (3-5)  chants  the  praises 
of  the  large  family  as  a  blessing  from  Yahaweh,  and  a  source 
of  strength.  They  are  lovely  folk  songs,  with  no  special 
reference  to  pilgrimage,  throwing  light  on  the  every  day, 
practical  religion  and  life  of  the  people.  This  Psalm  was  as- 
cribed by  some  scribe  to  Solomon  because  of  the  Hebrew 
word  jedediah  (His  beloved),  the  name  given  by  Nathan  to 
Solomon  (2  Sam.  12^^),  and  because  of  the  reference  to  the 
building  of  a  house,  which  the  scribe  connected  with  Solomon's 
construction  of  the  house  of  God.  This  ascription  does  not 
appear  in  the  Greek,  which  tends  rather  to  ascribe  all  Psalms 
to  David.  Children  of  youth  (4),  that  is  children  born  from 
parents  in  youthful  vigor,  who  will  be  grown  while  their  parents 
are  yet  young,  so  that  they  shall  have  long  service  and  sup- 
port  from  them.    Quiver   (5),  figure  suggested  by   warrior  in 


454 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


4,  In  the  gate  (5),  regular  place  of  conference  and  busi- 
ness (cf.  Gen.  34^°),  especially  with  outsiders,  where  the 
father,  supported  by  his  stalwart  sons,  would  fearlessly  meet 
(literally  speak  with)  those  coming  with  hostile  demands.  For 
the  fruit  of  the  womb  as  special  evidence  of  divine  blessing 
(3),  cf.  Dt.  7",  28*. 

Benjamin  Franklin  made  this  Psalm  the  basis  of  his  suc- 
cessful appeal  in  the  Constitutional  Convention,  which  framed 
the  American  Constitution,  for  prayers  before  business.  The 
first  verse  is  the  motto  of  the  city  of  Edinburgh.  The  same 
verse  was  inscribed  on  the  Eddystone  light. 


CXXVIII 

A  Song  of  degrees. 


BLESSED    is    every    one    that 
feareth  the  Lord;  that  walketh 
in  his  ways. 

2  For  thou  shalt  eat  the  labour 
of  thine  hands :  happy  shalt  thou 
be,  and  it  shall  be  well  with  thee. 

3  Thy  wife  shall  be  as  a  fruitful 
vine  by  the  sides  of  thine  house: 
thy  children  like  olive  plants  round 
about   thy   table. 

4  Behold,  that  thus  shall  the 
man  be  blessed  that  feareth  the 
Lord. 

5  The  Lord  shall  bless  thee  out 
of  Zion :  and  thou  shalt  see  the 
good  of  Jerusalem  all  the  days  of 
thy    life. 

6  Yea,  thou  shalt  see  thy 
children's  children,  and  peace  upon 
Israel. 


1.  Happy  all  that  fear  the  Lord, 

that   walk  in   His   ways ! 

2.  When    thou    eatest    the    labor 

of    thine    hands, 
Happy    be    thou,    and    well   be 
it    with    thee ; 

3.  Thy  wife  like  a  fruitful   vine 

inside   thy  house, 
Thy     sons     like     olive     plants 
about  thy  table  ! 

4.  For,    lo,    thus    shall    the    man 

be   blessed    that    feareth    the 
Lord. 

5.  The    Lord    bless    thee    out    of 

Zion! 

And    look    thou    on    the    wel- 
fare  of   Jerusalem, 

All  the  days  of  thy  life! 

6.  And    see    thou    thy    children's 

children  1 
Peace   be   on    Israel ! 


Lot  of  the  Faithful 

In  the  arrangement  of  this  collection  this  Psalm  was  placed 
here  apparently  because  of  similarity  of  topic  with  the  pre- 
ceding, namely  the  blessing  of  children.  Verse  1  is  as  it 
were  a  caption  announcing  the  theme  in  the  form  of  a  wish 
for  happiness  on  all  worshippers  of  Yahaweh,  adherents  of 
His  religion.  The  wish  expresses  the  popular  religion,  the 
Deuteronomic    expectation    of    material    blessing    as    a    reward 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


455 


for  faithfulness  to  the  religion  of  Yahaweh :  abundant  return 
of  his  toil  in  the  fields  (2),  a  fruitful  wife  in  the  inner 
parts  (inside)  of  his  house,  and  numerous  sons  (3),  such 
is  his  happy  portion  (4).  Then  follows  a  stanza  of  benediction, 
emphasizing  participation  in  the  welfare  of  Jerusalem,  and  old 
age  to  see  his  grandchildren  (5,  6)  ;  and  the  whole  ends  with 
the  same  sweet  salutation,  peace  to  Israel,  as  125,  which  we 
might  fancy  was  the  greeting  to  one  another  of  pious  Israel- 
ites living  in  foreign  lands.  Similar  was  the  wish  of  the 
pious  Persian,  as  expressed  in  the  Gathas ;  so  Yasna  XLI : 

*'Let  us  win  and  achieve  long  life,  O  Ahura  Mazda!  In 
Thy  grace  and  through  Thy  will  may  we  be  powerful."  And 
Yasna  LXV :  "Grant  me,  Thou  who  art  maker  of  the  kine, 
the  plants  and   the   waters,   immortality   and   likewise   wealth." 

Other  phrases  of  the  late  Psalm  literature  recur  in  this 
Psalm.  Cf.  1  and  112  \  119  ^;  5  and  122  \ 


CXXIX 

A  Song  of  degrees. 


MANY  a  time  have  they  afflicted 
me     from     my     youth,     may 
Israel  now   say : 

2  Many  a  time  have  they  afflicted 
me  from  my  youth :  yet  they  have 
not  prevailed  against  me. 

3  The  ploughers  ploughed  upon 
my  back:  they  made  long  their 
furrows. 

4  The  Lord  is  righteous:  he 
hath  cut  asunder  the  cords  of 
the  wicked. 

5  Let  them  all  be  confounded 
and  turned  back  that  hate  Zion. 

6  Let  them  be  as  the  grass  upon 
the  housetops,  which  withereth 
afore  it  groweth  up : 

7  Wherewith  the  mower  filleth 
not  his  hand;  nor  he  that  bindeth 
sheaves  his  bosom. 

8  Neither  do  they  which  go  by 
say,  The  blessing  of  the  Lord  be 
upon  you:  we  bless  you  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord. 


1.  Much    have    they    vexed    me 

from    my    youth. 
Now   let   Israel    say; 

2.  Much    have    they    vexed     me 

from    my   youth, 
But  not  prevailed  against  me. 

3.  On    my    back    the    ploughers 

ploughed, 
Made  long  their   furrows; 

4.  The  Lord  is  righteous, 

He  hath  cut  the  cords  of  the 
godless. 

5.  Be   all   haters  of   Zion  shamed 

and   turned  backward. 

6.  Be  they  like  housetop  grass. 
That     withereth     afore      one 

pluck  it ; 

7.  Wherewith  no  reaper  filled  his 

hand. 
Nor    binder    of     sheaves    his 
bosom; 

8.  Neither  have  the  passers  said: 
"The    blessing    of    the    Lord 

upon     you ; 
We  bless  you  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord." 


456 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


Haters  of  Zion 

Similarity  of  ending  (the  blessing)  between  this  Psalm  and 
the  preceding  seems  to  have  led  the  collector  to  give  it  this 
place.  The  first  stanza  (1-4)  exults,  in  the  manner  with 
which  we  are  already  familiar,  over  the  deliverance  from 
the  Exile,  with  reference  also  to  Israel's  previous  history  of 
adversities,  as  it  is  recorded  in  various  Psalms.  The  second 
stanza  (5-8)  is  the  curse  of  the  adversaries  of  Zion;  but  the 
figures  used  in  both  stanzas  are  unlike  anything  found  elsewhere, 
simple  figures  from  peasant  life,  figures  of  plowing  and  harvest, 
of  the  peasant  hut,  earth  covered,  on  which  grass  or  grain  sprouts 
green  in  the  rainy  season,  to  wither  quickly  in  the  dry  without 
maturing,  because  it  has  no  depth  of  earth;  of  the  common  greet- 
ing to  and  from  the  harvesters,  as  in  Ruth  2  *.  Similarly  the 
deliverance  from  the  Exile  itself  is  spoken  of  as  the  cutting  the 
cords  or  ropes  with  which  the  godless  heathen  had  tied  them. 
Verse  5  uses  familiar  Psalm  terminology  (cf.  70  ^,  71  ^^),  other- 
wise the  whole  expression  of  the  familiar  ideas  is  in  language 
quite  siii  generis. 


cxxx 

A  Song  of  degrees. 


OUT  of  the  depths  have  I  cried 
unto   thee,   O   Lord. 

2  Lord,  hear  my>  voice :  let  thine 
ears  be  attentive  to  the  voice  of 
my  suppHcations. 

3  If  thou,  Lord,  shouldest  mark 
iniquities,  O  Lord,  who  shall 
stand  ? 

4  But  there  is  forgiveness  with 
thee,  that  thou  mayest  be  feared. 

5  I  wait  for  the  Lord,  my  soul 
doth  wait,  and  in  his  word  do  I 
hope. 

6  My  soul  waiteth  for  the  Lord 
more  than  they  that  watch  for 
the  morning:  /  say,  more  than 
they   that   watch   for   the   morning. 

7  Let  Israel  hope  in  the  Lord: 
for  with  the  Lord  there  is  mercy, 
and  with  him  is  plenteous  redemp- 
tion. 

8  And  he  shall  redeem  Israel 
from  all  his  iniquities. 


1.  Out    of    the    depths    have     I 

called    Thee,     Lord, 
Lord  hearken  to  my  voice : 

2.  Be  thine   ears   will   attend. 

To  the  voice  of  mine   appeal. 

3.  If    Thou,   Yah,   shouldst   mark 

iniquities, 
O   Lord,  who   shall  stand? 

4.  For  with  Thee  is  pardon, 
For   Thy   name's    sake. 

5.  I  wait  for  the  Lord, 
My  soul  waiteth ; 

(And  on  His  word  is  my  hope:) 

6.  My  soul,  for  the  Lord, 

More   than   watchmen   for    the 
morn, 

Than     watchmen     for     the 
morn. 

7.  Let   Israel   hope   in   the   Lord, 
For  with   the   Lord  is   love, 
And    there    is    plenteous     re- 
demption   with    Him ; 

8.  And   He    redeemeth   Israel 
From    all    his    iniquities. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


457 


DE  PROPUNDIS 

This  is  the  de  profundis,  one  of  the  great  penitential  hymns 
of  the  Christian  Church.  It  is,  however,  a  penitential  of  a 
new  sort,  quite  without  fear  or  apprehension,  as  it  were  a 
favored  child  confessing  to  a  very  tender  parent,  or  perhaps 
rather  calling  to  his  parent  in  his  trouble,  sure  that  the  wrong- 
doing that  has  brought  the  trouble  can  no  more  be  renienil)ered 
or  held  against  him.  There  is  no  great  consciousness  of  guilt, 
and  the  Psalm  impresses  one  as  having  more  of  confident  and 
joyful  love  than  of  distress.  It  is  full  of  Psalm  allusions. 
Cf .  2  and  28  2 ;  3  and  76  ^  4  and  86  »;  5  and  ZZ  ^\  40  \  62  "■•  \ 
JJ974, 81  Verse  2  is  used  in  2  Chr.  6*°,  and  is  closely  related 
to  Neh.  1  °'  ^^.  Luke  1  °^  depends  upon  verses  7,  8.  It  is  a 
very  beautiful  composition,  but  quite  unlike  any  of  the  pre- 
ceding Psalms  of  this  collection,  except  perhaps  in  its  metrical 
methods.  The  method  in  which  6  ^,  my  soul  for  the  Lord, 
echoes  and  resumes  5  ^'  ^,  omitting  the  verb,  is  worth  notice. 
Very  peculiar  is  the  use  of  divine  names  in  this  Psalm,  Yah, 
Yahaweh  and  Adonai.  In  4  '^  I  have  followed  the  Greek  text 
in  preference  to  the  Hebrew. 


CXXXI 

A  Song  of  (leg  ees  of  David. 


LORD,  my  heart  is  not  haughty, 
'  nor  mine  eyes  lofty:  neither 
do  I  exercise  myself  in  great  mat- 
ters, or  in  things  too  high  for  mc. 

2  Surely  I  have  behaved  and 
quieted  myself,  as  a  child  that  is 
weaned  of  his  mother:  my  soul  is 
even  as  a  weaned  child. 

3  Let  Israel  hope  in  the  Lord 
from  henceforth  and   for  even 


1.  My     heart     is     not     haughty, 

Lord, 
Nor    lofty    my    look; 
And  I  meddle  not  with  great 

things, 
Nor    Things    too    mighty    for 

me. 

2.  But     I     have     refrained     and 

kept    still, 
Like  a  child  weaned  from  its 

mother; 
Like  a  weaned  child   am   I. 

3.  Let  Israel  hope  in  the  Lord, 
Henceforth    and    forever. 


Humility 

Verse  1  seems  to  depend  on  2  Sam.  22  ^^  (cf.  also  Is.  2^-, 
5^*^).  Perhaps  on  this  account  it  was  ascribed  by  a  scribe 
to  David.  For  3  cf.  130'  and  113  =.  The  last  verse  (3)  is  a 
doxology,   having    no    especial    connection    with    the   preceding, 


458 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


but  seemingly  added  to  the  collection  of  Pilgrim  hymns  when 
they  were  first  collected.  There  were,  it  will  be  observed, 
originally   twelve  songs   in  the  collection. 


LORD,     remember     David,     and 
I  all   his   afflictions  : 


2  How  he  sware  unto  the  Lord, 
and  vowed  unto  the  mighty  God 
of  Jacob ; 

3  Surely  I  will  not  come  into 
the  tabernacle  of  my  house,  nor 
go   up  into  my  bed ; 

4  I  will  not  give  sleep  to  mine 
eyes,    or   slumber   to    mine   eyelids. 

5  Until  I  find  out  a  place  for 
the  Lord,  a  habitation  for  the 
mighty  Cod  of  Jacob. 

6  Lo,  we  heard  of  it  at 
Ephratah:  we  found  it  in  the 
fields  of  the  wood. 

7  We  will  go  into  his  taber- 
nacles: we  will  worship  at  his 
footstool. 

8  Arise,  O  Lord,  into  thy  rest; 
thou,  and  the  ark  of  thy  strength. 

9  Let  thy  priests  be  clothed  with 
righteousness ;  and  let  thy  saints 
shout    for   joy. 

10  For  thy  servant  David's  sake 
turn  not  away  the  face  of  thine 
anointed. 

11  The  Lord  hath  sworn  in  truth 
unto  David ;  he  will  not  turn 
from  it;  Of  the  fruit  of  thy  body 
will   I  set  upon  thy  throne. 

12  If  thy  children  will  keep  my 
covenant  and  my  testimony  that 
I  shall  teach  them,  their  children 
shall  also  sit  upon  thy  throne  for 
evermore. 

13  For  the  Lord  hath  chosen 
Zion;  he  hath  desired  it  for  his 
habitation. 


CXXXII 

A    Song   of    degrees. 

1.  Remember,   Lord,  of   David, 
All    his    travail ; 

2.  Who   sware   unto   the   Lord, 
Vowed  to  the  Might  of  Jacob 


8 


3.  "I    come    not    into    the    house 

of    my   dwelling, 
I  go  not  up  to  the  bed  of  my 
repose, 

4.  I  give  no  sleep  to  mine  eyes. 
Nor  to   mine  eyelids   slumber, 

5.  Till    I    find    a    place    for    the 

Lord, 
An    habitation    for   the    Might 
of  Jacob." 

6.  Behold,    we    heard    of     it    in 

Ephratha, 
We    found    it    in    the    forest 
wilds. 

7.  Let  us  go  into  His  habitation! 
Let   us    worship   at    His    foot- 
stool I 

Arise,    Lord,    to    Thy    resting 
place. 

Thou    and    the    Ark    of    Thy 
strength, 
9.     Be  Thy  priests  clad  in   right- 
eousness, 

And   let   Thy   saints  shout. 

10.  Because  of  David,  Thy  servant, 
Reject  not  the  face  of  Thine 

anointed. 

11.  The    Lord    sware    unto    David 

in    truth ; 
He     turneth     not    therefrom: 
"Of_  the  fruit  of  thy  body 
I  will  set  upon  thy  throne. 

12.  If    thy    sons     will     keep     My 

covenant, 
And     My     testimony     that     I 

teach   them. 
Likewise    their    sons     forever 
Shall    sit   upon   thy   throne." 

13.  For    the     Lord     hath     chosen 

Zion, 
He  desired  her  for  His  dwell- 
ing: 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


459 


14  This  is  my  rest  for  ever :  here 
will  I  dwell;  for  I  have  desired  it. 

15  I  will  abundantly  bless  her 
provision:  I  will  satisfy  her  poor 
with  bread. 

16  I  will  also  clothe  her  priests 
with  salvation :  and  her  saints  shall 
shout  aloud  for  joy. 

17  There  will  I  make  the  horn 
of  David  to  bud :  I  have  ordained 
a  lamp   for  mine  anointed. 

18  His  enemies  will  I  clothe  with 
shame :  but  upon  himself  shall  his 
crown  flourish. 


14.  "This     is     My     resting     place 

forever, 
Here  will  I  dwell,  for  I  hav« 
desired  her. 

15.  Her    provision    will    I    greatly 

bless, 
Her    poor    will    I     sate    with 
bread ; 

16.  And  her  priests   I   will  clothe 

v/ith    salvation, 
And    her    saints     shall     shout 
the  joy  cry. 

17.  There    will     I    cause    David's 

horn  to   sprout ; 
I    have    ordained    a    lamp    for 

Mine  anointed. 
13.     His  enemies  will  I  clothe  with 

shame, 
But  upon  him,  his  crown  shall 

blossom. 


Oath  of  David 

This  Psalm  is  based,  like  89  ^^■*^,  which  it  also  uses,  on 
the  famous  promise  of  God  to  David,  2  Sam.  7  ^^  ^.  It  com- 
mences with  David's  desire  to  build  a  Temple,  1-6,  for  which 
is  besought  God's  recognition  or  remembrance.  Travail  refers 
to  David's  sufferings  and  conflict  in  general,  the  struggle  part 
of  his  life;  but  cf.  2  Sam.  16  '-.  This  verse  (1)  seems  to 
be  used  in  1  Chr.  22  ^*.  Literally  speaking,  we  have  in  the 
Scriptures  no  oath  or  vow  (2)  on  David's  part  to  find  a 
place  for  Yahaweh.  We  are  told  that  he  had  it  in  mind  to 
build  a  temple  (2  S.  7 '■  ^  1  K.  8^^0-  and  we  are  told  that  he 
brought  the  Ark  to  Jerusalem  and  established  the  Ark  shrine 
there  (1  S.  7).  Apparently  there  is  a  certain  poetical  license 
in  this  verse;  but  it  may  refer  to  some  tradition  or  narrative 
not  in  our  Scriptures.  Might  of  Jacob  (2,  7),  an  ancient 
Israelite  name  for  God  (Gen.  49  2*),  which  became  a  Judean 
name  after  the  Exile  (Is.  49 -^  60 1«).  Place  for  the  Lord 
(5),  cf.  1  Chr.  22.  Verses  6-9  describe  dramatically  the  re- 
moval of  the  Ark  to  Jerusalem  and  the  establishment  of  the 
Ark  shrine  there.  It  was  in  David's  city,  Bethlehem,  called 
poetically  by  what  is  supposed  to  be  its  old  name,  Ephratra  (cf. 
Mic.  5\  Ruth  4^S  Gen.  48  0,  that  they  heard  of  the  Ark, 
captured  and  carried  off  by  the  Philistines  a  generation  before, 
and  now  lying  forgotten  on  Judean  territory.  They  found 
it  in  Kiriath-Jearim  (2  S.  6  '^  ^)  which  being  translated  is  city 


460  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

of  the  forests,  and  so  poetically  in  our  Psalm  forest  wilds  (6) 
(there  are  now  no  forests  in  that  region,  but  even  within  the 
memory  of  living  man  all  the  western  mountainside  was  covered 
with  oak  forest.  The  Ark  found,  they  are  represented  as  going 
into  its  shrine,  the  Lord's  hahitaton,  to  worship  at  His  footstool 
(7).  Cf.  David's  worship  in  the  Ark  shrine  after  its  removal  to 
Jerusalem,  2S.  7^^^).  Footstool,  cf.  1  Chr.  28  2.  Then  comes 
the  removal  of  the  Ark  to  Jerusalem  (8,  9),  conceived  of  as 
in  1  Chr.  15^-^  ;  with  Priest  and  Levites,  and  not  as  in  2  S. 
6  ^"^®,  where  David  plays  the  priestly  part.  Verse  8  is  from 
the  ancient  Ark  song  (Num.  10  ^^),  as  in  68  ^.  These  verses 
are  quoted  in  Solomon's  prayer  as  given  in  Chronicles  (2  Ch. 
6*^),  but  not  in  Kings,  with  the  practically  synonymous 
salvation  substituted  for  righteousness  (9).  Saints,  a  good  old 
Psalm  word  for  the  worshippers  of  or  believers  in  Yahaweh 
(so  30*)  ;  later,  in  the  Asmonaean  period,  it  became  a  sectarian 
title  of  those  who  claimed  special  holiness.  Following  the 
sequence  of  2  Sam.  6,  7  and  1  Chr.  16,  17  our  Psalm  ad- 
vances from  the  establishment  of  the  Ark  shrine  in  Zion  to 
Yahaweh's  promise  to  David  (10-12),  implying  that  it  was 
his  establishment  of  the  Ark  shrine  which  was  the  cause 
of  His  favor  toward  him.  The  first  verse  of  this  stanza  is  the 
appeal  for  the  restoration  of  a  Messiah,  an  anointed  king  of 
David's  line,  and  is  evidence  that  at  the  time  of  its  composi- 
tion the  Davidic  dynasty  was  not  reigning.  There  was  no 
king,  but  verses  10-12  set  forth  the  promise  of  Yahaweh  on 
which  the  hope  in  and  appeal  for  the  Messiah,  a  king  of 
David's  line,  is  based  (cf.  %9  ^'  ^\  2  S.  7^2-16^  2  Chr.  6 '«). 
Verses  13-18  are  a  glorification  of  Zion,  sanctified,  since  David 
brought  and  set  the  Ark  there,  as  the  dwelling  place  of  Yahaweh, 
who  will  bless  her  people,  her  priests  and  the  Messianic  king 
of  David's  line,  whom  He  will  cause  to  rule  there  in  great 
power  as  of  old.  Desired  her  (13),  cf.  68".  Verse  15,  cf. 
107  ^.  It  has  been  suggested  that  this  indicates  the  feeding 
of  the  poor  of  Jerusalem  from  the  abundant  gifts  at  the  Temple, 
oflfered  by  the  pilgrims  who  came  from  all  regions  in 
great  numbers,  the  beginning  of  that  pauperizaton  of  the 
Jews  of  Jerusalem  by  the  halnkha,  which  has  gone  on  from 
that  day  to  this.  This  was  imitated  in  the  early  Church  by 
the  collection  in  all  congregations  of  alms  for  the  Christians 
in  Jerusalem,  a  practice  which  continues  to  this  day,  so  that 
the   Christian   as   well   as   the   Jewsh   population    of   Jerusalem 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


461 


is  dependent  in  part  on  the  alms  of  their  brethren  throughout 
the  world,  in  return  for  which  they  are  supposed  to  achieve 
benefit  for  all  by  their  prayers  and  worship  in  the  holy  city. 
Horn  (17),  an  old  familiar  figure,  but  for  this  particular  use 
of.  Ez.  29  -^  The  sprouting  seems  to  be  suggested  by  the  use 
elsewhere  for  the  Messiah  of  the  term  branch  (cf.  Is.  11  \ 
Jer.  23  ^  Zech.  3^  6^^)  Lam/'  (17)  is  also  an  old  term  to 
express  continuance,  borrowed  from  the  sacred  sacrificial 
flame  of  God  (cf.  18  2^).  Used  here  of  David  and  the  glory 
and  continuance  of  his  kingdom  by  divine  favor,  it  is  inter- 
preted in  1  K.  n'\  15*,  2  K.  8^^  2  Chr.  21^  of  the  one 
tribe,  Judah,  in  which  David's  lamp  is  kept  burning.  This 
reference  to  the  sacred  fire,  preceded  by  a  joy  shout  verse, 
and  succeeded  by  a  verse  of  cursing  and  blessing,  suggests  a 
sacrificial  moment;  and  that  by  the  addition  of  this  Psalm 
and  its  succeeding  glorias  the  collection  of  Psalms  of  Degrees 
was  made  into  a  sacrificial  liturgy.  It  is  not  a  folk  song  like 
the  preceding,  but  a  regular  Temple  Psalm.  Clothe  with  shame 
(18),  an  old  Psalm  phrase,  cf.  35  ^^  109 '^^i  and  borrowed  from 
such  familiar  liturgies  in  Job  8  ^^. 

This  Psalm  is  used  in  Lk.  1  *^'  ^*  (cf.  verses  12,  17). 


CXXXIII 

A   Song  of  degrees   of   David. 


BEHOLD,   how    good    and   how 
pleasant     it     is     for     brethren 
to   dwell   together   in   unity  I 

2  It  is  like  the  precious  oint- 
ment upon  the  head,  that  ran  down 
upon  the  beard,  even  Aaron's 
beard :  that  went  down  to  the 
skirts    of    his   garments ; 

3  As  the  dew  of  Hermon,  and 
as  the  detv  that  descended  upon 
the  mountains  of  Zion :  for  there 
the  Lord  commanded  the  blessing, 
even  life   for  evermore. 


\.    Behold      how      goodly      and 
pleasant   it  is 
When    brethren    dwell    all    to- 
gether. 

2.  Like   the   precious    oil   on    the 

head. 
Going   down    upon   the   beard, 

Aaron's   beard, 
That  goeth  down  on  the  edge 

of  his   robes; 

3.  Like    the    night-mist    of    Her- 

mon, 
That     goeth     down     on     the 

mountains  of  Zion. 
For  there  the  Lord  consecrated 

the  blessing. 
Life  for  evermore. 


Brotherly  Love 

Mighty    Mount    Hermon    dominates    Palestine,    rising  to    a 

height  almost  three  times   that  of  any  mountain  there.  Here 

the  night-mist,  on  which  the  land  depends   through   the  long, 


462 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


dry  months  of  summer,  is  thought  of  as  trickling  down  Hermon'  = 
snow-clad  heights  on  to  the  mountains  beneath,  as  oil  froni 
the  high  priest's  head  to  his  beard,  even  to  or  onto  the  edgt 
of  his  garments ;  so  finally  it  reaches  Zion,  which  is  the  Goa 
ordained  mountain  from  which  the  blessing  of  life  goes  out  to 
the  world.  The  relation  of  the  first  verse  to  this  figure  ana 
its  application  it  is  difficult  to  see.  Apparently  it  was  an 
expression  of  joy  at  beholding  Israelites  from  everywhere 
gathered  together  in  one  mind  at  Jerusalem  for  the  great  pil- 
grim feasts.  The  thought  of  the  Psalm  as  a  whole  is  best 
explained  by  Sirach's  picture  of  Simon  the  Just  descending 
to  bless  the  people  (Eccl.  50-°'^^),  which  is  followed  by  the 
"Now  bless  ye  the  God  of  all"  (50-^--*),  to  which  corre- 
sponds Ps.  134.  For  verse  2  cf.  Ex.  29^;  for  3,  42^,  Lev. 
25  ^,  Dt.  28  ^.  A  scribe  has  ascribed  this  Psalm  to  David, 
apparently  because  of  the  mention  of  Zion  (3),  following  the 
peculiar  relation  of  David  and  Zion  as  the  mountain  of  bless- 
ing established  in  the  preceding  Psalm. 


CXXXIV 

A   Psalm  of  degrees. 


BEHOLD,  bless  ye  the  Lord,  all 
ye  servants  of  the  Lord,  which 
by  night  stand  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord. 

2  Lift     up     your    hands    in    the 
sanctuarj',   and   bless   the   Lord. 

3  The    Lord    that    made    heaven 
and   earth  bless   thee  out  of   Zion. 


1.  Behold,  bless  the  Lord, 

All   ye   servants   of   the   Lord, 
That    stand    in    the    house    of 
the  Lord  by  night. 

2.  Raise  your  hands  toward   the 

shrine, 
And  bless  ye  the   Lord. 

3.  Bless     thee     from     Zion,     the 

Lord, 
Maker   of    heaven   and    earth  1 


Blessing 

This  is  a  song  of  blessing  at  the  close  of  the  entire  service 
(cf.  Eccl.  50"").  By  night  (1)  ;  the  existence  of  night  services 
in  connection  with  festivals  is  testified  to  for  a  fairly  early 
period  by  Is.  30  ^^ ;  1  Chr.  9  ^^,  23  ^®  appear  to  show  night 
service  at  that  time ;  and  for  the  Herodian  period  a  night 
service  is  mentioned  as  the  closing  feature  of  at  least  one  of 
the  great  feasts.    Verse  3  is  composd  of  128''  and  124'. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  463 

THE  LAST  COLLECTION 

CXXXV— CL 

Some  time  after  the  completion  of  the  Book  of  Chronicles 
and  before  that  of  Ecclesiasticus  the  Psalter  was  definitely 
completed  by  the  addition  of  Psalms  135-150.  Of  these  Psalms 
two,  135-136,  were  mosaics  of  Levitical  origin,  like  the  Psalms 
contained  in  Chronicles,  but  constructed  on  the  litany  model 
to  which  attention  was  called  in  connection  with  the  Halle!, 
and  are  therefore  later  in  date  than  Chronicles.  They  seem 
to  have  existed  as  independent  units,  and  not  as  members  of 
a  larger  collection.  The  same  is  true  of  Psalm  137,  which 
is,  however,  of  a  different  origin  and  earlier  date,  a  folk  song 
of  the  Captivity,  later  turned  into  a  curse  song  against  Edom 
and  Babylon.  In  its  present  form  it  might  belong  anywhere 
in  the  5th  or  earlier  part  of  the  4th  century  B.   C. 

Following  these  is  a  small  Davidic  Psalter,  consisting  of 
seven  Psalms,  138-144,  each  headed  of  David.  Unlike  any  other 
Psalms  in  the  two  later  books  of  the  Psalter  these  are  provided 
with  musical  headings  and  annotations,  like  the  Psalms  of  the 
first  three  books  (139  and  140  are  lammenazaeah,  139-141,  143 
are  mismors,  142  a  maskil,  and  140,  143  are  provided  with 
selahs,  for  all  which  terms  see  general  Introduction),  and  one 
of  them,  142,  has  an  historical  notice  of  the  same  character  as 
those  in  the  great  Davidic  Psalters,  zvhen  he  was  in  the  cave 
(in  the  Greek  143  is  headed  zvhen  his  son  pursued  him,  and  144, 
in  regard  to  Goliath,  while  in  138  and  139  to  the  ascription 
of  David  some  Greek  texts  add  an  ascription  to  Zachariah, 
with  the  further  note  in  the  case  of  the  latter  in  the  dispersion). 
Psalms  140-144  are  dependent  as  compositions  on  the  Psalms 
of  the  two  great  Davidic  Psalters,  and  the  theme  of  140-143 
particularly  is  one  very  famili?.r  in  those  Psalters,  the  solicita- 
tion of  the  help  of  Israel's  God  against  the  wiles  of  worship- 
pers of  false  gods,  who  seek  advantage  over  the  faithful  by 
the  help  of  the  idols  they  serve.  From  the  text  standpoint 
these  Psalms  have  come  down  to  us  in  a  worse  condition  than 
any  other  part  of  the  Psalter,  seeming  as  though  they  had 
been  handed  down  verbally  or  unofficially  for  a  long  period 
before  they  were  collected  into  an  official  and  carefully  con- 
trolled text.  Some  of  them  combine  old  and  new  material. 
Psalms    138    and    139    stand    somewhat    apart    from    the    rest. 


464  THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 

The  former  seems  to  be  later.  The  latter,  one  of  the  finest 
Psalms  in  the  Psalter,  is  an  original  poem  by  an  independent 
thinker,  whereas  140-144  are  compositions  out  of  or  dependent 
on  former  Psalms.  The  evidence  seems  to  me  to  suggest 
that  Psalms  140-144  were  pre-exilic  compositions,  omitted  from 
the  official  Davidic  Psalter  when  these  were  finally  combined 
(see  Introduction),  but  continued  in  use,  more  especially  per- 
haps for  individual  sacrifices,  and  thus  handed  down  into  the 
post-exilic  period  with  the  ancient  liturgical  and  musical  anno- 
tations. They,  with  139,  a  Psalm  of  similar  date  but  perhaps 
non-Levitical  in  origin,  seem  to  have  formed  in  the  post-exilian 
period  a  little  booklet  or  collection,  to  which  a  praise  cry,  138, 
was  prefixed  as  a  sort  of  introduction.  This  was  an  unof- 
ficial collection,  and  in  consequence  there  was  much  corruption 
of  text.  When  the  last  great  round-up  of  Psalms  was  made, 
by  which  the  Psalter  was  definitely  completed,  some  time  after 
the  compilation  of  Chronicles,  this  collection  was  included  in 
the  official  book  of   Psalms. 

Like  138-144  Psalms  145-150  also  constituted  a  collection 
which  was  taken  into  the  Psalter  as  a  whole,  or  rather  these 
Psalms,  like  103-107  and  111-117,  constituted  a  composite 
liturgy,  a  great  processional  of  praise  songs  for  the  high  sac- 
rifice on  one  of  the  great  feasts  (afterwards  appropriated  for 
regular  sacrifices),  prefaced  by  an  introduction  of  literary  not 
liturgical  character  (145).  This  liturgy  is  progressive,  an 
essential  of  processionals.  It  begins  with  two  companion  Psalms, 
146,  147,  summoning  to  the  praises  of  God  for  His  goodness 
to  Israel  and  His  glories  in  creation,  the  first  apparently  sung 
without  the  walls,  reaching  Zion  at  its  close;  the  second,  sung 
within  the  walls,  summoning  to  pra'se  because  of  God's  build- 
ing of  Zion,  and  His  special  choice  of  Israel.  These  are 
followed  by  another  pair  of  companion  Psalms:  the  first  (148) 
summoning  all  creation  to  praise,  but  specially  Israel,  which 
is  near  to  Him,  as  the  procession  draws  near  to  the  Temple; 
the  second,  149,  accompanied  with  dances,  brandishing  of 
swords,  and  the  noise  of  instruments,  from  David's  city  sum- 
moning triumphant  Israel  to  take  the  vengeance  on  their  foes 
described  and  predicted  in  their  Scriptures  from  the  days 
before  David  onward.  The  whole  concludes  with  a  wonderful 
and  glorious  outburst  of  praise  and  sound  as  they  enter  the 
Sanctuary  (150). 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


465 


This  collection  as  a  whole  is  ascribed  to  David,  but  in  the 
Greek  Psalms  146-148  are  also  ascribed  to  Haggai  and  Zach- 
ariah,  while,  as  already  noted,  some  Greek  texts  ascribe  138, 
139,  headed  as  of  David,  to  Zachoriah.  This  may  show  that 
the  translators  were  conscious  of  the  fact  that  of  David  did  not 
mean  literally  composed  by,  of  or  for  him,  and  that  these 
Davidic  Psalms  belonged  actually  to  the  second  not  the  first 
Temple. 

CXXXV 


PRAISE  ye  the  Lord.     Praise  ye 
the  name  of  the  Lord;  praise 
him,  O  ye  servants  of  the  Lord. 

2  Ye  that  stand  in  the  house 
of  the  Lord,  in  the  courts  of  the 
house   of   our   God, 

3  Praise  the  Lord  ;  for  the  Lord 
is  good :  sing  praises  unto  his 
name ;    for  it   is   pleasant. 

4  For  the  Lord  hath  chosen 
Jacob  unto  himself,  and  Israel  for 
his   peculiar   treasure. 

5  For  I  know  that  the  Lord  is 
great,  and  that  our  Lord  is  above 
all  gods. 

6  Whatsoever  the  Lord  pleased, 
that  did  he  in  heaven,  and  in  earth, 
in  the  seas,  and  all  deep  places. 

7  He  causeth  the  vapours  to 
ascend  from  the  ends  of  the  earth; 
he  maketh  lightnings  for  the  rain; 
he  bringeth  the  wind  out  of  his 
treasuries. 

8  Who  smote  the  firstborn  of 
Egypt,  both  of  man  and  beast. 

9  Who  sent  tokens  and  wonders 
into  the  midst  of  thee,  O  Egypt, 
upon  Pharaoh,  and  upon  all  his 
servants. 

10  Who  smote  great  nations,  and 
slew   mighty  kings ; 


1.  Hallelu-Yah. 

Praise    ye    the    name    of    the 

Lord, 
Praise,     ye     servants     of     the 

Lord, 

2.  Who    stand    in    the    house    of 

the  Lord, 
In  the  court  of  the  house  of 
our  God. 

3.  Hallelu-Yah,    for   good    is   the 

Lord, 
Make    melody    to    His    name, 
for  it  is  lovely. 

4.  For  Jacob   did  Yah  choose, 
Israel  for  his  treasure. 

5.  For    I    know    that    the    Lord 

is  great. 
And  our  Lord  above  all  gods. 

6.  All  that  He  pleased  the  Lord 

hath    done. 
In    heaven    and    earth,    in    the 
seas  and  all  deeps ; 

7.  Raising  clouds   from  the  ends 

of  the  earth. 

Lightnings  from  the  rain  He 
made, 

Bringing  wind  from  His  store- 
houses. 

8.  Who    smote    the    firstborn    of 

Egypt, 
Both   of  man  and  beast. 

9.  He  sent  signs  and  wonders  in 

the  midst  of   thee,   Egypt,  _ 
On    Pharaoh    and    on    all    his 
servants. 

10.     Who  smote  great  nations. 
And    slew    mighty   kings; 


460 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


11  Sihon  king  of  the  Amorites, 
and  Og  king  of  Bashan,  and  all 
the  kingdoms  of   Canaan : 

12  And  gave  their  land  for  a 
heritage,  a  heritage  unto  Israel  his 
people. 

13  Thy  name,  O  Lord,  endureth 
for  ever;  and  thy  memorial,  O 
Lord,   throughout   all   generations. 

14  For  the  Lord  will  judge  his 
people,  and  he  will  repent  himself 
concerning  his   servants. 

15  The  idols  of  the  heathen  are 
silver  and  gold,  the  work  of  men's 
hands. 

16  They  have  mouths,  but  they 
speak  not ;  eyes  have  they,  but 
they    see    not ; 

17  They  have  ears,  but  they  hear 
not ;  neither  is  there  any  breath 
in  their  mouths. 

18  They  that  make  them  are  like 
unto  them :  so  is  every  one  that 
trusteth  in  them. 

19  Bless  the  Lord,  O  house  of 
Israel :  bless  the  Lord,  O  house  of 
Aaron : 

20  Bless  the  Lord,  O  house  of 
Levi :  ye  that  fear  the  Lord,  bless 
the   Lord. 

21  Blessed  be  the  Lord  out  of 
Zion,  which  dwelleth  at  Jerusalem. 
Praise  ye   the  Lord. 


11.     Sihon,    king   of    the    Amorite, 
And  Og.  king  of  Bashan, 
All  the  kingdoms  of  Canaan; 

11.  And      gave      their      land      an 

heritage. 
An    heritage    to    Israel,     His 
people. 

12.  Lord,    Thy    name    is    everlast- 

ing; 
Lord,    Thy    memorial    for    all 
generations. 

13.  For     the     Lord    judgeth     His 

people. 
And     of     His     servants     He 
pitieth  Him. 

14.  The  idols   of   the   nations   are 

silver    and    gold. 
The   work   of    men's   hands. 

15.  Mouths  have  they — and  speak 

not ; 
Eyes  have  they — and  see  not; 

16.  Ears  have  they — and  hear  not; 

Yea,    there    is    no    breath    in 
their  mouth. 

17.  Like  them   be  they   that  make 

them, 
Whosoever  trusteth  in  them ! 

18.  House     of     Israel,    bless    the 

Lord; 
House    of    Aaron,    bless    the 
Lord; 

19.  House  of  Levi,  bless  the  Lord; 
Fearers  of  the  Lord,  bless  the 

Lord. 

20.  Blessed     be     the     Lord     from 

Zion, 
Inhabiting  Jerusalem. 
Hallelu-Yah. 


A  Covipcsite  Psalm 

This  and  the  succeeding  Pscilm,  which  belong  to  the  period 
following  the  composition  of  Chronicles,  are  formed  in  general 
on  the  same  model  as  the  Psalms  contained  in  that  book  out 
of  other  Psalms  and  Scriptures.  Verse  1  is  43  ^,  in  reversed 
order;  2  is  134  ^  and  116^^;  6  is  115  3;  7  is  Jer.  19",  51"; 
for  8  and  9  cf.  78"-  *^;  for  11  and  12  cf.  Dt.  29  ^'  « ;  for  13, 
102^2  and  Ex.  3":  14  is  Dt.  32  ^-^  15-20,  115*-",  with  very 
few  changes;  for  21  cf.  128'.  (It  will  be  observed  that  Ps. 
115   is   used  almost   entire.)      Somewhat   less   directly   verse    5 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


467 


is  dependent  on  Ex.  18".  Treasure  (4),  or  particular  pos- 
session runs  through  the  Bible  in  this  special  connection,  of. 
Ex.  19',  Dt.  7\  14  ^  26  ^«,  Mai.  3  ^^  Eph.  1",  Tit.  2", 
1  Pet.  2".  Verse  7  is  a  striking  picture  of  the  storm,  the 
clouds  brought  up  from  the  distant  horizon,  covering  the  face 
of  the  sky,  pierced  by  the  lightnings.  God's  arrows,  to  let 
the  rain  rush  out;  then  the  wind  released  from  the  unseen 
divine  storehouses  where  it  has  been  confined.  I  have  never 
seen  anywhere  such  striking  sky  and  cloud  effects  as  in  Pales- 
tine, giving  rise  to  the  wonderful  storm  pictures  in  which 
Hebrew  poetry  abounds.  This  is  a  hallel,  or  praise  song, 
preceded  and  followed  by  the  ritual  cry,  hallchi-Yah.  It  uses 
the  same  motives  as  the  liturgy  103-107,  and  the  hallel,  111- 
117,  God's  wonders  in  creation  and  in  the  history  of  Israel. 
1,  stanza  1-3,  the  call  to  praise,  with  emphasis  on  the  name 
and  the  Temple ;  2,  4-5,  the  assertion  of  God's  uniqueness  and 
His  choice  of  Israel,  which  makes  Israel  unique;  3,  6-7,  evi- 
dence of  His  almighty  power  in  nature;  4,  8-9,  in  the  deliver- 
ance of  Israel  from  Egypt;  5,  10-11,  in  the  conquest  and  gift 
to  Israel  of  the  land  of  Canaan;  6,  12-13,  in  His  abiding  and 
eternal  care  for  Israel,  for  whom  He  gives  judgment,  and  whom 
He  tenderly  loves;  7,  14-17,  unlike  the  futile  idol  gods  of  the 
heathen;  8,  18-20,  it  closes  with  the  blessing,  with  Levi  (19) 
added  to  the  Aaron  of  Ps.  115  to  make  four  clauses  for  the  com- 
pletion of  the  verse  scheme. 


CXXXVI 


OGIVE  thanks  unto  the  Lord; 
for  he  is  good:  for  his  mercy 
endtireth   for  ever. 

2  O  give  thanks  unto  the  God 
of  gods :  for  his  mercy  cndureth 
for  ever. 

3  0  give  thanks  to  the  Lord  of 
lords :  for  his  mercy  cndureth 
for    ever. 

4  To  him  who  alone  doeth  great 
wonders :  for  his  mercy  cndureth 
for  ever. 

5  To  him  that  by  wisdom  made 
the  heavens :  for  his  mercy 
endureth  for  ever. 

6  To  him  that  stretched  out  the 
earth  above  the  waters :  for  his 
mercy   endureth   for  ever. 


1.  Give  thanks  to   the   Lord,    for 

He   is   good ; 
Chorus. — For     everlasting     is 
His  love. 

2.  Give    thanks    to    the    God    of 

gods; 
Chorus. 

3.  Give    thanks    to    the    Lord    of 

lords; 
Chorus. 

4.  That     doeth     great     wonders 

alone ; 
Chorus. 

5.  That    maketh    the    heavens    in 

wisdom; 
Chorus. 

6.  That    spreadeth   out   the   earth 

on   the  waters ; 
Chorus. 


468 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


7  To  him  that  made  great  hghts : 
for  his   mercy  endureth   for   ever: 

8  The  sun  to  rule  by  day:  for 
his  mercy  endureth  for  ever : 

9  The  moon  and  stars  to  rule 
by  night :  for  his  mercy  endureth 
for    ever. 

10  To  him  that  smote  Egypt  m 
their  firstborn:  for  his  mercy 
endureth    for   ever : 

11  And  brought  out  Israel  from 
among  them:  for  his  mercy 
endureth  for  ever: 

12  With  a  strong  hand,  and 
vi^ith  a  stretched  out  arm:  for  his 
mercy  endureth  for  ever. 

13  To  him  vi^hich  divided  the 
Red  sea  into  parts :  for  his  mercy 
endureth    for    ever : 

14  And  made  Israel  to  pass 
through  the  midst  of  it:  for  his 
mercy  endureth   for  ever : 

15  But  overthrew  Pharaoh  and 
his  host  in  the  Red  sea:  for  his 
mercy   endureth   for   ever. 

16  To  him  which  led  his  people 
through  the  wilderness :  for  his 
mercy   endureth   for  ever. 

17  To  him  which  smote  great 
kings:  for  his  mercy  endureth  for 
ever: 

18  And  slew  famous  kings :  for 
his   mercy   endureth   for  ever: 

19  Sihon  king  of  the  Amorites : 
for  his   mercy  endureth   for  ever: 

20  And  Og  the  king  of  Bashan : 
for  his   mercy  endureth   for  ever: 

21  And  gave  their  land  for  a 
heritage:  for  his  mercy  endureth 
for  ever : 

22  Even  a  heritage  unto  Israel 
his  servant :  for  his  mercy  en- 
dureth for  ever. 

23  Who  remembered  us  in  our 
low  estate  for  his  mercy  endureth 
for  ever : 

24  And  hath  redeemed  us  from 
our  enemies :  for  his  mercy  en- 
dureth for  ever. 

25  Who  giveth  food  to  all  flesh: 
for   his    mercy   endureth    for   ever. 

26  O  give  thanks  unto  the  God 
of  heaven :  for  his  mercy  endureth 
for  ever. 


7.  That  maketh  great   lights; 
Chorus. 

8.  The  sun  for  ruler  in  the  day; 
Chorus. 

9.  The      moon     and      stars      for 

rulers    in    the    night; 
Chorus. 

10.  That    smiteth    Egypt    in    their 

firstborn ; 
Chorus. 

11.  And  brought  out  Israel   from 

their  midst; 
Chorus. 

12.  With  a  strong  hand  and  out- 

stretched  arm ; 
Chorus. 

13.  That  parteth  the  Sea  of  Sedge 

in  parts; 

Ch07'US. 

14.  And    brought    Israel    through 

the   midst   thereof ; 
Chorus. 

15.  And     cast     Pharaoh     and     his 

host  into  the  Sea  of  Sedge; 
Chorus. 

16.  That    leadeth    His    people    in 

the  wilderness ; 
Chorus. 

17.  That   smiteth   great   kings; 
Chorus. 

18.  And    slew    mighty    kings; 
Chorus. 

19.  Sihon,  king  of  the   Amorites; 
Choi'tts. 

20.  And  Og,  the  king  of  Bashan; 
Chorus. 

21.  And    gave    their    land    for    an 

heritage ; 
Chorus. 

22.  An     heritage     to     Israel     His 

servant ; 
Chorus. 

23.  Who    remembered    us    in    our 

abasement ; 
Chorus. 

24.  And     rescued     us     from     our 

oppressors ; 
Chorus. 

25.  That  giveth   food  to  all  flesh; 
Chorus. 

26.  Give    thanks    to    the    God    of 

heaven. 
Chorus. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


469 


The  Great  Hall  el 

This  is  a  liturgy  for  the  thank  offering,  formed  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  preceding  of  scripture  quotations,  chiefly  from 
the  Law  and  the  Psahns.  It  is  based  hke  106,  107,  118  on 
the  ritual  cry  of  the  thank  offering  as  a  text,  opening  and 
closing  with  it,  and  continually  repeating  part  of  it  as  a  re- 
frain. It  develops  to  its  highest  degree  the  method  of  liturgical 
composition  first  noted  in  the  Hallel,  111-117  of  very  brief, 
staccato  responses,  an  identical  response  after  each  half  verse, 
and  is  only  equalled  in  this  method  of  composition  by  the 
beautiful  Benedicite  of  the  apocryphal  book  of  Daniel,  The 
Song  of  the  Three  Holy  Children,  handed  down  in  Greek  (Dan. 
3-**^).  The  Scripture  passages  used  are:  for  verse  1,  118^; 
2,  Dt.  10 '"  ;  4,  72  ^^  ;  5,  6,  104  -*,  Is.  42  ^  Jer.  10  ^^  ;  7-9.  Gen. 
1";  10,  135  ^  11-16,  the  narrative  of  Ex.  12^  and  Dt.  4; 
17-22,  135  "-12.  23,  106  "-*«;  25,  104  -\  The  motive  and  scheme 
are  much  the  same  as  in  135:  1,  1-3,  the  summons  to  the 
thank  offering;  2,  4-9,  God's  wonders  in  creation;  3.  10-16, 
His  wonders  in  delivering  Israel  out  of  Egypt  and  leading  him 
through  the  wilderness;  4,  17-22,  in  the  conquest  of  Canaan 
and  Israel's  inheritance  of  the  land ;  6,  23-24,  in  delivering  him 
from  the  Babylonian  Captivity.  The  final  thank  offering  cry 
(26)  is  preceded  by  a  verse  (25)  making  symbolically  the 
feasting  on  the  flesh  of  the  sacrifice  to  be  the  feeding  of  men 
by  God's  bounty,  thus  giving  the  sacrificial  feast  a  certain 
mystical   character. 

This  Psalm  was  called  the  great  Hallel,  and  according  to 
the  Talmud  was  prescribed  for  the  7th  day  of  the  feast  of 
Unleavened  or  Passover. 

CXXXVII 


BY  the  rivers  of  Babylon,  there 
we    sat   down,   yea,    we    wept, 
when  we  remembered  Zion. 

2  We  hanged  our  harps  upon  the 
willows   in   the   midst   thereof. 

3  For  there  they  that  carried  us 
away  captive  required  of  us  a 
song;  and  they  that  wasted  us 
required  of  us  mirth,  sayinp,  Sing 
us   one   of   the   songs  of   Zion. 

4  How  shall  we  sing  the  Lord's 
song   in    a    strange    land? 


1.  By   the    rivers    of    Babylon, 
There  we   sat ; 

Yea,    we    wept, 

When   we   remembered    Zion. 

2.  On    the   poplars    therein   hung 

we   our  harps. 

3.  For  there  they  asked  us. 
Our    captors,     for    words    of 

song. 
And      our      plunderers,      for 

mirth : 
"Sing  us  some  song  of  Zion." 

4.  How  can  we   sing  the  Lord's 

song  in   a  strange  land? 


470 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


5  If  I  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem, 
let  my  right  hand  forget  her 
cunning. 

6  If  I  do  not  remember  thee, 
let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof 
of  my  mouth ;  if  I  prefer  not 
Jerusalem    above    my    chief    joy. 

7  Remember,  O  Lord,  the 
children  of  Edom  in  the  day 
of  Jerusalem ;  who  said,  Rase  it, 
rase  it,  even  to  the  foundation 
thereof. 

8  O  daughter  of  Babylon,  vv^ho 
art  to  be  destroyed ;  happy  shall 
he  be,  that  rewardeth  thee  as  thou 
hast  served  us. 

9  Happy  shall  he  be,  that  taketh 
and  dasheth  thy  little  ones  against 
the   stones. 


5.  If    I    forget    thee,    Jerusalem, 
May    my    right   hand    forget — 

6.  My     tongue     cleave     to     my 

palate. 
If   I   remember  thee  not, 
If  I   set  not  Jerusalem  at  the 

head    of    my    mirth. 

7.  Remember,    Lord,    against    the 

sons    of    Edom    the   day    of 
Jerusalem, 
When   they   said :    "Rase,   rase 
to    the    foundation    thereof." 

8.  Daughter   of   Babylon,   that   is 

laid    waste, 
Happy    he    who    requiteth    to 

thee 
Thy  dealing  which  thou  dealt 

to  us ; 

9.  Happy    he    that    catcheth    and 

dasheth 
Thy  children  against  the  rock. 


By  the  Rivers  of  Babylon 

This  is  a  very  beautiful  lamentation,  in  irregular  but  most 
effective  metre,  iterating  and  reiterating  the  wailing  sounds, 
enit,  inn,  nnu,  i,  etc.  It  resembles  the  folk  songs  of  the  Pilgrim 
Psalter  (120-134)  most  nearly  in  its  poetical  form.  I  am  not  sure 
whether  it  was  actually  composed  in  the  real  exile,  or  is  an  ideal- 
ization from  the  Captivity  i.e.,  the  period  following  the  return. 
The  lament  ends  with  verse  6.  4,  the  attitude  familiar  from 
David's  time  on  until  the  Dispersion,  that  Yahaweh  can  be 
worshipped  only  in  His  own  land.  To  this  beautiful  song 
were  added  two  curses  in  prose  or  a  near  prose,  7,  against 
Edom,  and  8,  9  against  Babylon.  The  latter  is  very  late  or 
Aramaic  in  its  language  and  constructions.  It  refers  to  Babylon 
as  already  destroyed  or  laid  was':c,  i.  e.,  by  Darius.  The  curse 
against  Edom  exhibits  the  same  attitude  as  Lam.  4  ^^'  ^^,  Ez. 
25  8'  ^2-14^  obad.  ^-",  Jer.  49  ^-",  Is.  63  ^-*.  The  feeling  exhib- 
ited is  so  intense  that  one  is  inclined  to  suppose  that  these 
verses  date  from  a  period  not  too  far  removed  from  the  event 
of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  in  which  case  the  Psalm 
would  be  quite  early  in  the  exile. 

Verses  8,  9  were  cited  by  the  Covenanters  as  a  divine 
command  against  clemency  to  prisoners.  With  the  curses  this 
Psalm  is  not  fitted  for  use  m  Christian  worship.     With  those 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


471 


omitted,  it  becomes  a  beautiful  hymn.  The  same  may  be  said 
in  some  degree  of  109,  69,  35;  and  indeed  for  use  in  Christian 
worship  the  curses  should  be  deleted  in  all  Psahns. 

CXXXVIII— CLIV 
Davidic   Liturgy 


CXXXVIII 

A  Psalm  of  David. 


T  WILL  praise  thee  with  my 
•'■  whole  heart:  before  the  gods 
will    I    sing   praise   unto    thee. 

2  I  will  worship  toward  thy  holy 
temple,  and  praise  thy  name  for 
thy  lovingkindness  and  for  thy 
truth :  for  thou  hast  magnified 
thy  word  above  all  thy  name. 

3  In  the  day  when  I  cried  thou 
answeredst  me,  and  strengthenedst 
me  with  strength  in  my  soul. 

4  All  the  kings  of  the  earth  shall 
praise  thee,  O  Lord,  when  they 
hear  the  words  of   thy  mouth. 

5  Yea,  they  shall  sing  in  the 
ways  of  the  Lord  :  for  great  is 
the   glory   of   the    Lord. 

6  Though  the  Lord  be  high,  yet 
hath  he  respect  unto  the  lowly : 
but  the  proud  he  knoweth  afar  off. 

7  Though  I  walk  in  the  midst  of 
trouble,  thou  wilt  revive  me :  thou 
shalt  stretch  forth  thine  hand 
against  the  wrath  of  mine  enemies, 
and  thy  right  hand  shall  save  me. 

8  The  Lord  will  perfect  that 
ivhich  concerneth  me :  thy  mercy, 
O  Lord,  endnreth  for  ever :  for- 
sake not  the  works  of  thine  own 
hands. 


1.  I  give  thanks  to  Thee  with  my 

whole  heart, 
Before    the   gods    I    chant    to 
Thee. 

2.  I    worship    toward    Thy    holy 

Temple, 
And     give      thanks     to      Thy 

name 
For    Thy    love    and    for    Thy 

truth. 
For   Thou   hast   exalted    over 

all    Thy    word. 

3.  In     the    day     I    called     Thou 

answeredst    me. 
Thou   enlargest   strength   upon 
me. 

4.  All  kings  of   the   earth  praise 

Thee,    Lord, 
For     they     have     heard     the 
words  of  Thy  mouth; 

5.  And    they    sing    of    the    ways 

of   the   Lord, 
For  great  is  the  glory  of  the 
Lord. 

6.  For   exalted   is   the   Lord,   and 

the    humble   He   beholdcth. 
But    the    lofty    from   afar   He 
disciplineth. 

7.  Though    I    walk   in    the   midst 

of    oppression.    Thou    givcst 

me  life; 
Against    the    wrath    of    mine 

enemies  Thou  sendcst  forth 

Thy  hand. 
And    Thy    right    hand    saveth 

me. 

8.  The  Lord  accomplisheth  on  my 

behalf; 
Lord,  Thy  love  is  everlasting; 
Lord,  the  works  of  Thy  hands 

forsake    not. 


472 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


Introductory  Praise  Cry 

The  text  of  this  Psalm  (1)  is  taken  from  113^.  The 
thought  of  1  ^  is  famiHar  in  the  Prayer  of  Moses  (cf .  95  ',  96  *, 
97^).  The  zvorship  or  prostration  in  worship  toward  the 
Temple  (2)  was  early  (cf.  5^).  Here  we  have  the  exaltation 
of  the  Temple  and  the  Law.  The  Hebrew  has  over  all  Thy 
name  Thy  word,  thy  name  having  been  written  in  from  the 
former  verse  by  a  copyist's  error.  In  the  day  I  called,  etc., 
(3),  an  old  and  familiar  Psalm  phrase;  the  answer  here  is  the 
enlargement  of  strength  to  him.  All  kings  (4),  the  same 
thought  as  in  72  ^^  and  102  ^^,  but  here  is  added  the  legal 
thought :  it  is  the  Law  which  represents  God  to  the  world. 
The  thought  of  6  is  familiar,  the  humble  being  Israel  (cf. 
113*'^).  The  thought  of  God's  goodness  towards  humble  Israel 
is  taken  up  in  a  manner  familiar  in  post-exilic  psalmody, 
with  a  reference  to  the  deliverance  from  the  Babylonian  cap- 
tivity, and  the  restoration  of  Israel  to  life.  Lord,  in  the  last 
line  of  8,  from  the  Greek,  to  complete  the  metrical  scheme. 


CXXXIX 


OLORD,  thou  hast  searched  me, 
and  known  me. 

2  Thou  knowest  my  downsitting 
and  mine  uprising ;  thou  under- 
standest  my  thought  afar  off. 

3  Thou  compassest  my  path  and 
my  lying  down,  and  art  acquainted 
tirith   all   my  ways. 

4  For  there  is  not  a  word  in  my 
tongue,  but,  lo,  O  Lord,  thou 
knowest  it  altogether. 

5  Thou  hast  beset  me  behind  and 
before,  and  laid  thine  hand  upon 
me. 

6  Such  knowledge  is  too  wonder- 
ful for  me;  it  is  high,  I  can- 
not  attain  unto   it. 

7  Whither  shall  I  go  from  thy 
Spirit?  or  whither  shall  I  flee  from 
thy  presence? 


1.  Lord,  Thou  hast  searched  me 

and    knowest. 

2.  Thou  knowest  my   sitting  and 

my    rising, 
Thou      hast      discerned      my 
thought  from  afar; 

3.  My    path    and    my    bed    hast 

Thou   measured, 
And   all    my   ways   hast   Thou 
cared  for; 

4.  While    a   word   is   not   yet   on 

my   tongue, 
Behold,    Lord,    Thou    knowest 
it  all. 

5.  Behind  and  before  hast  Thou 

enclosed  me, 
And     hast     laid     Thine     hand 
upon  me. 

6.  Too     wondrous     such    knowl- 

edge   for   me, 
Too     lofty, — I     cannot     attain 
it. 

7.  Whither  shall  I  go  from  Thy 

spirit? 
And    whither    flee    from    Thy 
presence? 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


473 


8  If  I  ascend  up  into  heaven, 
thou  art  there:  if  I  make  my  bed 
in  hell,  behold,  thou  art  there. 

9  If  I  take  the  wings  of  the 
morning,  and  dwell  in  the  utter- 
most parts  of   the  sea; 

10  Even  there  shall  thy  hand 
lead  me,  and  thy  right  hand  shall 
hold  me. 

11  If  I  say,  Surely  the  darkness 
shall  cover  me;  even  the  night 
shall  be  light  about  me. 

12  Yea,  the  darkness  hideth  not 
from  thee;  but  the  night  shineth 
as  the  day :  the  darkness  and  the 
light  are  both  alike  to  thee. 

13  For  thou  hast  possessed  my 
reins :  thou  hast  covered  me  in 
my  mother's   womb. 

14  I  will  praise  thee ;  for  I  am 
fearfully  and  wonderfully  made : 
marvellous  are  thy  works ;  and 
that   my   soul   knoweth    right   well. 

15  My  substance  was  not  hid 
from  thee,  when  I  was  made  in 
secret,  and  curiously  wrought  in 
the  lowest  parts  of  the  earth. 

16  Thine  eyes  did  see  my  sub- 
stance, yet  being  imperfect;  and  in 
thy  book  all  my  members  were 
written,  which  in  continuance  were 
fashioned,  when  as  yet  there  ivas 
none  of  them. 

17  How  precious  also  are  thy 
thoughts  unto  me,  O  God  I  how 
great   is   the   sum   of   them  I 

18  //  I  should  count  them,  they 
are  more  in  number  than  the  sand : 
when  I  awake,  I  am  still  with  thee. 

19  Surely  thou  wilt  slay  the 
wicked,  O  God:  depart  from  me 
therefore,  ye  bloody  men. 

20  For  they  speak  against  thee 
wickedly,  and  thine  enemies  take 
thy  name  in  vain. 


8.  If    I   climb   heaven,   Thou    art 

there; 
When    I    bed    in    hell,— behold 
Thee  1 

9.  Should    I    lift    the    wings    of 

dawn. 
Should  I  dwell  at  the  back  of 
the   sea, 

10.  Even  there  Thy  hand  leadeth 

me, 
And   Thy    right   hand   holdeth 
me. 

11.  And    I    say:    "Darkness    doth 

cover  me ;" 
The  night  is  light  about  me. 
Even  darkness  is  not  dark  to 

Thee, 

12.  But  night  like  the  day  giveth 

light. 
As  the  darkness,  so  the  light. 

13.  For     Thou     didst     form     my 

reins, 
Thou     fashionest    me    in    my 
mother's    womb. 

14.  (I    give   thanks    to    Thee,    for 

that    awful    wonders    Thou 
hast  wrought; 
Wonderful     are     Thy     works, 
as  I  well  know.) 

15.  From    Thee    my    bones    were 

not  hid. 
When   I   in   secret  was   made. 
Was     cunningly     wrought     in 

earth's  depths ; 

16.  Thine     eyes     saw     mine     un- 

shapenness ; 
And    in    Thy    book    they    all 

were   written, 
That    daily    were    shapen, 
When  none  of  them  were. 

17.  And  to  me  how  precious  Thy 

thoughts,    O    God ! 
How     mighty     the     sum     of 
them ! 

18.  Would   I   tell  them,   they  out- 

number the  sand, 
I    awoke,    and    still    am    with 
Thee. 

19.  That   Thou   wouldest   slay   the 

wicked,  oh  God  ! 
And    that   men   of   blood   may 
depart    from    me  I 

20.  Who  name  Thee  for  a  device; 
Who    have    taken    to    the    lie 

Thy  name. 


474 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


21  Do  not  I  hate  them,  O  Lord, 
that  hate  thee?  and  am  not  I 
grieved  with  those  that  rise  up 
against  thee? 

22  I  hate  them  with  perfect 
hatred :  I  count  them  mine 
enemies. 

23  Search  me,  O  God,  and 
know  my  heart :  try  me,  and  know 
my  thoughts : 

24  And  see  if  there  be  any 
wicked  way  in  me,  and  lead  me 
in   the   way  everlasting. 


21.  Do    not    I    hate    Thy    haters. 

Lord, 
And    loathe    them    that    with- 
stand Thee? 

22.  With  utter  hate  I  hate  them; 
Mine    enemies    are    they    be- 
come. 

23.  Search    me,    God,    and    know 

my    heart, 
Try      me,      and      know      mj 
thoughts ; 

24.  And     see     if     there     be     any 

idol  worship  in  me. 
And     lead     me    in    the     way 
everlasting. 


Incantation 

By  general  consent  there  are  more  Aramaisms  and  neo- 
Hebraisms  and  unexplained  vi^ords  and  forms  in  this  Psalm 
than  in  any  other  Psalm  of  the  Psalter.  The  text,  however, 
has  come  dov^n  to  us  in  a  bad  condition,  and  that,  as  compari- 
son of  the  versions  shows,  will  account  for  some  of  these 
pecularities.  Some  of  them  are  really  old  forms  and  uses 
preserved  in  popular  speech.  The  evidence  of  the  text  sug- 
gests that  this  Psalm  was  handed  down  for  a  long  period 
verbally,  or  at  least  unofficially.  It  consists  of  four  sense 
stanzas  of  approximately  equal  length,  each  stanza  having  a 
sort  of  summing  up  or  capstone.  The  purpose  of  the  Psalm 
is  developed  in  the  last  stanza.  It  is  of  the  nature  of  an 
incantation  to  Yahaweh  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  protection 
against  the  wicked,  through  whose  wiles  evil  has  come  or 
may  come  on  the  righteous  followers  of  Yahaweh.  According 
to  the  universal  idea  of  the  ancient  near  Orient  knowledge 
of  the  name,  i.  e.,  the  true,  inner  nature  of  man,  demon  or 
deity  gives  the  possessor  of  that  knowledge  power  over  the 
owner  of  the  name,  or  power  to  invoke  his  help.  Babylonian 
incantations  and  the  incantations  on  Hebrew  magical  bowls  from 
Babylonia  exhibit  the  same  idea  and  the  same  methods.  To  ex- 
orcise a  demon,  show  by  your  words  that  you  know  his  name  or 
nature.  To  invoke  a  deity  to  your  aid,  do  the  same.  The 
deity  here  to  be  invoked  was  Yahaweh.  To  secure  Yahaweh's 
help  to  overcome  the  wiles  and  magic  of  the  adversary  the 
suppliant  must  give  evidence  of  his  knowledge  of  Yahaweh 
and  of  his  faithfulness  to  Him,  for  Yahaweh  is  a  jealous 
God,    through    which    knov;ledge    and    faithfulness    (the    truth 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  475 

and  love  of  the  Psalms,  as  exhibited  on  the  worshipper's  part) 
his   prayer   will    exercise    as    it   were   a   compelling   power    on 
Yahaweh    to    secure    His    intervention.      Now    to    the    Jewish 
believer  the  one  great,  supreme,  creating  and  all-directing  divine 
power  was  Yahaweh.     Hence  the  suppHant  displays  his  knowl- 
edge of  Yahaweh's  might  (1),  verses  1-6,  in  relation  to  all  his 
acts  and  the  secret  and  even  unformed  thoughts  of  his  heart, 
summing  it  up  as  a  knowledge  too  great  and  wonderful   for 
him  to  attain  to.     Next  he  sets  forth   (2),  7-12,  the  omnipres- 
ence of  God,  in  heaven  and  hell,  in  east  and  west,  in  darkness 
and  light,  summing  up  that  darkness  and   light   do   not   exist 
with  Him.     Then  he  sets  forth   (3),  13-18,  his  dependence  on 
God  for  his  being,  his  wonderful  and  mysterious  creation   in 
his  mother's  womb,  and  before  that  in  the  womb  of  earth,  and 
the    record    of    his    creation    and    predestination,    summing    up 
with  a  statement   that  Yahaweh's   wonders   are   so   many   that 
he   cannot   tell   them   all.      Having   thus   established   his    claim 
to  Yahaweh's  help,  he  proceeds  to  the  invocation    (4),  19-24, 
of  Yahaweh  against  his  foes,  whom  he  represents  as  the  faith- 
less enemies  of  God  and  right,  and  a  protestation  of  his  own 
faithfulness. 

The  Psalm  commences  with  .a  half  verse  (1),  which  consti- 
tutes  a  sort  of   caption.      Thought    (2),  a  strange   word,   ap- 
parently meaning  an  intimate,  secret  thought.    My  path  and  my 
bed  (3)  ;  my  life  day  and  night  is  ordered  for  me  beforehand. 
Spirit    (7ff),    a    conception    of    the    spiritual    presence    of    God 
that  reminds  one  somewhat  of   Is.  63"-".     8  seems  to  have 
behind  it  Am.  9".     Bed  in  hell   (or  Sheol),  literally  make  a 
bed  of  hell.     To  lift  up  the  wings  of  dawn  (9),  is  to  penetrate 
the  east  beyond  the  very  source  of  light;  and  to  dwell  at  the 
back    of   the   sea   is   similarly   to   reach   westward   beyond   the 
boundless  sea  in  which  the  sun  itself  sets.     Reins   (13),  i.  e., 
kidneys,  conceived  of  by  the  Hebrews  as  the  very  source  and 
centre  of  physical  life.     14  is  a  prose  gloss.     Cunningly  wrought 
(15),  as  the  most  elaborately  figured  work  is  made  on  looms. 
In  earth's  depths;  according  to  Jewish  cosmogony  God  created 
in  advance,  and  holds  in  great  caverns  or  abysses,  the  creatures 
that  are  to  be.     Thy  book    (16),   the   familiar  idea   of   God's 
book  of  life,  but  here  become  a  book  of   destiny.     /  awoke 
(18)  ;  the  same  word  is  used  of  resurrection,  awakening  into 
life;  apparently  here  it  has  a  similar  meaning.     Created  in  the 
depths,  developed  in  the  womb  under  God's  fashioning  hand, 


476 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


born  into  life,  he  is  still  as  much  in  God's  hands  as  before. 
God  (19),  the  old  singular  form  Eloali.  Name  (20),  appar- 
ently the  adversary  is  not  altogether  an  outside  heathen,  but 
rather  such  as  those  against  whom  the  prophet  Isaiah  fulmi- 
nated (cf.  also  Is.  65),  who  professed  Judaism,  but  practiced 
all  kinds  of  idol  cults,  from  which  the  suppliant  claims  free- 
dom (24).  Such  as  these  use  the  divine  name  fraudulently, 
and  take  that  name  in  vain.  Thoughts  (23),  another  unusual 
word,  meaning  perhaps  secrets,  used  elsewhere  only  in  94  ^'. 
Idol  worship  (24),  literally  way,  or  religion,  of  idols,  in  con- 
trast with  the  way  of  Yahaweh,  which  is  the  everlasting  or 
enduring  way.  Cf.  the  later  Christian  use  of  the  way  to  ex- 
press the  religion  of  Christ. 


CXL 

To  the  chief  Musician,  A  Psalm  of  David. 


DELIVER    me,    O    Lord,    from 
the    evil    man :    preserve    me 
from    the   violent   man ; 

2  Which  imagine  mischiefs  in 
their  heart ;  continually  are  they 
gathered  together  for  v^^ar. 

3  They  have  sharpened  their 
tongues  like  a  serpent;  adders' 
poison  is  under  their   lips.     Selah. 

4  Keep  me,  O  Lord,  from  the 
hands  of  the  wicked ;  preserve  me 
from  the  violent  man ;  who  have 
purposed  to  overthrow  my  goings. 

5  The  proud  have  hid  a  snare 
for  me,  and  cords ;  they  have 
spread  a  net  by  the  way  side ; 
they  have  set  gins  for  me.     Selah. 

6  I  said  unto  the  Lord,  Thou  art 
my  God :  hear  the  voice  of  my 
supplications,  O  Lord. 


1.  Deliver    me,    Lord,    from    the 

evil    man, 
From  the  violent  man  preserve 
me; 

2.  Who     have     devised     evil     in 

their   heart. 
All  the  day  they  instigate  war. 

3.  They      have      whetted      their 

tongue    like    a    serpent, 
Scorpions'   poison   under   their 
lips. 

Selah. 

4.  Keep     me,     Lord,     from     the 

hand   of   the  godless, 
(From    violent    men    preserve 

me.) 
Who  have  devised  to  trip  up 

my   steps. 

5.  The     proud     have     hidden     a 

snare   for  me, 
And     cords     (have     they     set 

for    me), 
They     spread     a    net    by    the 

roadside. 
Gins    have    they    set    for    me. 

Selah. 

6.  I   said   to   the   Lord,   my   God 

art    Thou, 
Give   ear,   Lord,   to   the   voice 
of    my    supplications. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


477 


7  O  God  the  Lord,  the  strength 
of  my  salvation,  thou  hast  covered 
my  head  in  the  day  of  battle. 

8  Grant  not,  O  Lord,  the  de- 
sires of  the  wicked :  further  not 
his  wicked  device;  lest  they  exalt 
themselves.     Selah. 

9  As  for  the  head  of  those  that 
compass  me  about,  let  the  mischief 
of   their   own   lips   cover   them. 

10  Let  burning  coals  fall  upon 
them :  let  them  be  cast  into  the 
fire;  into  deep  pits,  that  they  rise 
not  up  again. 

11  Let  not  an  evil  speaker  be 
established  in  the  earth :  evil  shall 
hunt  the  violent  man  to  overthrow 
him. 

12  I  know  that  the  Lord  will 
maintain  the  cause  of  the  afflicted, 
and  the  right  of  the  poor. 

13  Surely  the  righteous  shall 
q:ive  thanks  unto  thy  name :  the 
upright  shall  dwell  in  thy  presence. 


7.  Lord,    my    Lord,    strength    of 

my    salvation. 
Thou    hast    covered    my    head 
in  the  day  of  arms. 

8.  Grant    not,    Lord,    the    desires 

of    the    godless, 
His  device   further  Thou   not. 

Selah. 

9.  Who   lift   up   the   head   round 

about  me. 
Let  the  mischief  of  their  lips 
cover  them. 

10.  May    He    rain    on    them    coals 

of  fire. 
Cast  them   into   entanglements 
whence    they    rise    not. 

11.  Be  not  the  violent  man  estab- 

lished in  the  land ; 
Let    evil    pursue    him    to    de- 
struction. 

12.  I  know  that  the  Lord  worketh 
Justice  to  the   troubled. 
Judgment  to  the  needy. 

lo.     Surely  the  righteous  shall  give 
thanks    to   Thee ; 
The    upright    shall     dwell     in 
Thy    presence. 


First  Snare  Song 

In  purpose  and  use,  although  not  in  form,  this  Psahn  re- 
sembles the  preceding.  It  is  a  carefully  organized  liturgy, 
consisting  of  four  symmetrical  stanzas,  after  the  first  three 
of  which  is  a  selah,  the  place  of  which  after  the  fourth 
stanza  is  taken  by  the  affirmation  of  favorable  answer  to  the 
petition  of  the  suppliant  and  the  call  to  sacrifice  (12,  13)  Stanza 
1,  verses  1-3,  is  the  cry  for  deliverance  from  the  evil  devices  of 
the  wicked,  who  are  like  serpents  for  guile  and  venom.  2,  3-5,  is 
a  further  development  of  the  theme  of  the  guiles  and  wickedness 
of  the  godless.  3,  6-8.  is  the  prayer  for  deliverance,  with  praises 
of  God's  power  and  goodness  towards  him.  4,  9-11,  is  the  curse 
on  the  godless.  The  first  three  stanzas  are  full  of  phrases  and 
ideas  from  a  number  of  Psalms  of  the  two  great  Davidic  collec- 
tions, 3-41,  51-71,  but  not  exact  quotations.  It  is  as  though  the 
composer  of  this  liturgy  were  full  of  these  Psalms,  using  their 
phraseology  freely  from  memory  to  express  his  ideas.  The  next 
of  stanza  4  has  not  come  down  to  us  in  as  good  shape  as 
the    others.      It    contains    a    couple    of    strange    and    uncertain 


478 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


words,  and  some  glosses  and  corrections.  This  may  be  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  closing  portion  of  such  a  text  was  apt 
to  be  more  crowded  in  writing,  and  was  otherwise  also  the 
part  most  likely  to  suffer  injury. 

Scorpion  (3),  uncertain.  It  may  be  some  kind  of  serpent 
or  spider.  From  violent  men,  etc.  (4),  apparently  borrowed 
by  a  scribe  from  the  former  stanza,  because  of  the  similarity 
of  the  immediately  preceding  lines.  Who  lift  up  (9),  appears 
in  the  Hebrew  before  the  selah  of  the  preceding  verse,  an 
evident  misplacement.  Rain  (10),  a  correction  of  uncertain 
text.  Entanglements,  following  the  Greek;  the  Hebrew  word 
of  uncertain  meaning.  Violent  man  (11),  text  reads  man  of 
tongue.  This  makes  no  sense.  At  the  end  of  the  verse  is 
written  in  the  correction  violent  man,  which  I  have  followed. 
Destruction,  meaning  uncertain.  Troubled  (12).  or  afflicted, 
and  needy  describe  the  godly  Israelite  as  over  against  the 
proud  and  godless  heathen,  after  the  manner  familiar  in  the 
Davidic   Psalters. 


CXLI 

A   Psalm  of   David. 


LORD,    I   cry   unto   thee :    make 
haste   unto  me ;   give   ear  unto 
my  voice,  when  I  cry  unto  thee. 

Z  Let  my  prayer  be  set  forth 
before  thee  as  incense;  and  the 
lifting  up  of  my  hands  as  the 
evening    sacrifice. 

3  Set  a  watch,  O  Lord,  before 
my  mouth ;  keep  the  door  of  my 
lips. 

4  Incline  not  my  heart  to  any 
evil  thing,  to  practise  wicked  works 
with  men  that  work  iniquity :  and 
let  me  not  eat  of  their  dainties. 

5  Let  the  righteous  smite  me ; 
it  shall  be  a  kindness :  and  let 
him  reprove  me ;  it  shall  be  an 
excellent  oil,  which  shall  not  break 
my  head:  for  yet  my  prayer  also 
shall   be  in  their  calamities. 

6  When  their  judges  are  over- 
thrown in  stony  places,  they  shall 
hear  my  words ;  for  they  are 
sweet. 


1.  Lord,     I     have     called     Thee, 

hasten  unto  me ; 
Give    ear    to    my   voice    when 

I  call  to  Thee. 

2.  Ordered  be   my   prayer   as   in- 

cense before  Thee, 
The    lifting    up    of    my    hands 
an  evening   sacrifice. 

3.  Set,     Lord,    a    watch    at    my 

mouth, 
A   guard   to   the   door  of   my 
lips. 

4.  Incline    my   heart   not   to   the 

evil    thing. 
To   practice  practises   of   god- 
lessness 

5.  With  men  that  serve  idols ; 
Neither  eat  I  at  their  feasts ; 

6.  (Let     the     righteous     lovingly 

smite  me  and  chasten  me) 
Nor  does  the  oil  of  the  god- 
less fatten  my  head. 
For    ever    my    prayer    is    of 
their   wickedness. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


479 


7  Our  bones  are  scattered  at  the 
grave's  mouth,  as  when  one  cutteth 
and  cleaveth  wood  upon  the  earth. 

8  But  mine  eyes  are  unto  thee, 
O  God  the  Lord :  in  thee  is  my 
trust ;   leave  not  my  soul  destitute. 

9  Keep  me  from  the  snares 
ivhich  they  have  laid  for  me,  and 
the  gins  of  the  workers  of  iniquity. 

10  Let  the  wicked  fall  into  their 
own  nets,  whilst  that  I  withal 
escape. 


7.  Judged    at    the    hands    of    the 

Rock    are    their    judges, 
(And    they    heard    my    words, 

for  they  are  lovely ; 
Like    one    piercing    and    rend- 
ing  in    the    land.) 
Scattered  their  bones  at  hell's 
mouth. 

8.  For    unto    Thee,    Lord,    lift    I 

up  mine  eyes ; 
On    Thee    have    I    hoped,    let 
me    not    be    destroyed. 

9.  Preserve    me    from    the    snare 

they    spread    for    me. 
The  gins  of   the  idol   servers. 
10.     Let    the    wicked     fall    in    his 

own    entanglements, 
While  I   in   safety  pass   on. 


Second  Snare  Song 

Like  the  preceding  this  Psahn  is  a  snare  song,  a  liturgy 
to  be  used  against  the  metaphorical  snares  and  traps  laid  by 
the  idol  w^orshippers ;  like  that  also  it  uses  freely  the  phrase- 
ology of  the  Davidic  Psalters.  The  text  has  come  down  in 
very  bad  form,  and  in  some  passages  all  translations  are  guess- 
work. The  general  sense  and  purpose,  however,  are  clear. 
Verses  1,  2  are  the  cry  of  the  suppliant  made  in  connection 
with  the  evening  sacrifice  (2)  of  Yahaweh's  worship.  Ordered, 
the  technical  term  for  arranging  or  setting  in  order  the  sac- 
rifice. Verses  3-6  are  the  specific  prayer  against  idol  worship, 
and  a  protestation  of  the  suppliant's  freedom  from  such 
taint.  It  reminds  one  of  the  conditions  referred  to  by  the  pre- 
exilic  Jewish  prophets  as  existing  in  their  time,  when  the 
Struggle  was  not  only  against  the  wiles  of  the  outside  heathen, 
but  the  true  religion  of  Yahaweh  was  threatened  by  idolaters 
and  heathen  practices  among  His  own  people.  He  asks  Yaha- 
weh for  protection  against  this  danger  (3),  and  protests  that 
he  has  not  practiced  their  perverted  practices  (4),  nor  taken 
part  in  the  feasts  to  other  gods  (5,  6).  Let  the  righteous,  etc. 
(6)  ;  apparently  this  is  a  pious  gloss.  Verses  7-10  are  the 
prayer  for  the  curse  on  the  idol  servers,  and  deliverance  from 
their  snares  and  blessing  for  himelf.  And  they  heard,  etc. 
(7),  may  be  a  pietistic  gloss.  One  is  tempted  to  think, 
however,  that  behind  the  present  difficult  text  of  this  and 
the  following  line  stands  in  the  original  text  a  statement  of 
the  hearing  of  His  petition  by  God,  and  the  divine  interfer- 


480 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


ence.  Lift  I  up  (8),  the  text  reads  Lord.  While  I  etc.  (10), 
the  text  reads  together  I  until  I  pass  on.  Apparently  the 
manuscript  was  incomplete  at  the  end,  and  these  words  are 
mere  fragments. 

This    Psalm    was    used    for    evening    worship    in    the    early 
Christian  community.    Verse  3  is  cited  in  Eccl.  22  ". 


CXLII 

Maschil   of   David;    A   Prayer   when   he   was   in   the   cave. 


1.  With    my    voice    to    the    Lord 

I    cry    out, 
With  my  voice  unto  the  Lord 
I   make   entreaty. 

2.  I    pour    out    before    Him    my 

complaint, 
My     distress     before     Him     I 
declare. 

3.  When    my    spirit    fainteth    in 

me. 
Thou   knowest  my  path. 
In  the   road  which  I  walk 
They  hid  a   snare   for  me. 

4.  I  look  to  the  right  and  behold, 
And    there   is    none    regarding 

me; 
Escape     hath     perished     from 

me, 
None  careth   for  me. 

5.  I     cried     out    unto     Thee,     O 

Lord, 
I    said,    Thou    art    my    refuge, 
My    portion    in    the    land    of 

the    living. 

6.  Attend    unto    my    cry,    for    I 

am  brought  very  low ; 
Rescue     me     from     my     pur- 
suers, for  they  are  stronger 
than    I. 

7.  Save    me    from    the    dungeon 

to  give  thanks  to  Thy  name. 
In     me     shall     the     righteous 
triumph,    for    Thou    dealest 
bountifully  with  me. 


Third  Snare  Song 

This  is  a  snare  sonc;  (3),  like  the  precedinc^,  but  seems  to 
deal  with  national  calamity,  and  the  snare  of  heathen  foes. 
It    uses    phraseology    familiar    in    the    Davidic    Psalters,    but 


I    CRIED  unto  the  Lord  with  my 
voice ;   with  my  voice   unto   the 
Lord  did   I   make  my   supplication. 

2  I  poured  out  my  complaint  be- 
fore him ;  I  shewed  before  him 
my    trouble. 

3  When  my  spirit  was  over- 
whelmed within  me,  then  thou 
knowest  my  path.  In  the  way 
wherein  I  walked  have  they  privily 
laid    a    snare    for    me. 

4  I  looked  on  my  right  hand, 
and  beheld,  but  there  was  no  man 
that  would  know  me :  refuge  failed 
me;   no   man   cared    for  my   soul. 

5  I  cried  unto  thee,  O  Lord  : 
I  said,  Thou  art  my  refuge  and 
my  portion  in  the  land  of  the 
living. 

6  Attend  unto  my  cry ;  for  I 
am  brought  very  low :  deliver  me 
from  my  persecutors ;  for  they 
are  stronger  than  I. 

7  Bring  my  soul  out  of  prison, 
that  I  may  praise  thy  name:  the 
righteous  shall  compass  me  about ; 
for  thou  shalt  deal  bountifully 
with   me. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


481 


the  first  three  verses  are  dependent  on  a  Psalm  of  the  Asaph 
Psaher,  77  ^'^  (cf.  also,  however,  30  «).  Verse  2  uses  a  phrase 
which  appears  in  the  title  of  102 ;  and  5  ^  resembles  91  '.  It 
commences,  like  the  preceding,  with  the  cry  to  Yahaweh  out 
of  distress  (1,  2).  Then  a  statement  of  that  which  Yahaweh 
surely  knows,  that  they  laid  a  snare  for  him  (3)  ;  yet 
Yahaweh  was  not  on  his  right  hand  to  protect  him,  he  was 
deserted  with  no  chance  to  escape  (4).  Escape  hath  perished, 
cf .  Am.  2  ^*,  Jer.  25  ^°.  Then  again  the  cry  for  deliverance 
in  defeat  in  language  that  reminds  one  of  the  latter  days  of  the 
pre-exilic  kingdom  (5,  6),  and  a  concluding  verse,  which  sug- 
gests the  thank  offering  in  assurance  of  answer  to  the  sac- 
rificial petition,  and  deliverance  from  surrender  and  captivity 
(7).  This  closing  verse  is  so  much  like  13°  that  one  is 
tempted  to  emend  the  rather  doubtful  text  to  read  somewhat 
thus :     In   Thee  shall  the  righteous  triumph   because,  etc. 


CXLIII 

A   Psalm  of   David. 


HEAR  my  prayer,  O  Lord,  give 
ear  to  my  supplications  :  in  thy 
faithfulness  answer  me,  and  in  thy 
righteousness. 

2  And  enter  not  into  judgment 
with  thy  servant :  for  in  thy  sight 
shall  no  man  living  be  justified. 

3  For  the  enemy  hath  persecuted 
my  soul ;  he  hath  smitten  my  life 
down  to  the  ground ;  he  hath  made 
me  to  dwell  in  darkness,  as  those 
that  have  been  long  dead. 

4  Therefore  is  my  spirit  over- 
whelmed within  me;  my  heart 
within  me  is  desolate. 

5  I  remember  the  days  of  old ; 
I  meditate  on  all  thy  works;  I 
muse   on   the   work   of   thy   hands. 

6  I  stretch  forth  my  hands  unto 
thee:  my  soul  thirsteth  after  thee, 
as   a  thirsty   land.     Selah. 


1.  Lord,  hear  my  prayer, 
Give   ear  to   mine   entreaty ; 
In  Thy  truth  answer  me,  and 

in    Thy    righteousness ; 

2.  And   enter  not   into   judgment 

with  Thy  servant. 
For  no   mortal  is  just  before 
Thee. 

3.  For   the    enemy    hath    pursued 

me, 
Hath  crushed  to  the  earth  my 

life; 
(Hath     made     me     dwell     in 

dark    places    like    the    dead 

of  yore.) 

4.  And  faint  is  my  spirit  in  me. 
Within    me    my    heart    is    ap- 
palled. 

5.  I    have    remembered    the    days 

of  old, 
I     have    mused    on    all     Thy 

deeds, 
On   the   works   of   Thy   hands 

I    make    meditation. 

6.  I   have    spread   out   my   hands 

unto    Thee, 
My    soul    is    like    land    thirsty 
for  Thee. 

Selah 


482 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


7  Hear  me  speedily,  O  Lord;  my 
spirit  faileth:  hide  not  thy  face 
from  me,  lest  I  be  like  unto  them 
that  go  down  into  the  pit. 

8  Cause  me  to  hear  thy  loving- 
kindness  in  the  morning;  for  in 
thee  do  I  trust :  cause  me  to  know 
the  way  wherein  I  should  walk ; 
for   I    lift   up   my   soul   unto   thee. 

9  Deliver  me,  O  Lord,  from 
mine  enemies:  I  flee  unto  thee  to 
hide  me. 

10  Teach  me  to  do  thy  will;  for 
thou  art  my  God:  thy  Spirit  is 
good ;  lead  me  into  the  land  of 
uprightness. 

11  Quicken  me,  O  Lord,  for  thy 
name's  sake :  for  thy  righteous- 
ness' sake  bring  my  soul  out  of 
trouble. 

12  And  of  thy  mercy  cut  off 
mine  enemies,  and  destroy  all  them 
that  afflict  my  soul :  for  I  am  thy 
servant. 


7.  Speedily  answer  me,  Lord, 
My    spirit    is    utterly    gone ; 
Hide  not  Thy  face  from  me. 
That  I  be  not  like   them  that 

go  down   to  the  pit. 

8.  Make  me  hear  in  the  morning 

Thy  love, 
For  in   Thee   I   have   trusted. 
Make    me    know    the    way    I 

shall    walk. 
For  to  Thee  I  have  lifted  up 

my  soul. 

9.  Deliver       me       from       mine 

enemies,   Lord, 
For    in    Thee    I    have    sought 
refuge. 

10.  Teach  me  to  do  Thy  pleasure, 

for  Thou   art  my   God; 
Let  Thy  good   spirit   lead   me 
in   the    straight   path. 

11.  For    Thy    name's    sake.    Lord, 

Thou   revivest   me. 
In  Thy  righteousness  bringest 
me   out   of    my    strait. 

12.  And    in    Thy    love    dost   Thou 

cut   off   my    foes, 

And    destroyest    all    that    op- 
press me ; 

For   I    am   Thy    servant. 


The  Last  Penitential 

This  is  a  penitential  for  deliverance  in  time  of  great  national 
need.  Verses  1,  2  are  the  cry  to  Yahaweh.  The  idea  of  2 
is  very  fully  developed  in  Job  (cf.  especially  Job  22),  but 
the  idea  itself  is  old  (cf.  1  K.  8*^).  Verses  3,  4  set  forth 
the  suppliant's  distress.  Hath  made,  etc.,  (3),  is  a  gloss  from 
Lam.  3^.  Verses  5,  6;  he  tells  how  he  has  made  lamentations 
reminding  Yahaweh  of  His  deeds  of  old.  Mused  and  make 
meditation  (5)  are  technical  terms  for  such  lamentations  or 
penitential  psalms,  literally  meaning  to  moan  and  lament.  This 
verse  derives  especially  from  77  ^'  ".  Verses  7,  8,  the  earnest 
entreaty  for  relief  in  his  dire  distress  and  instruction  in  the 
way  that  will  bring  favor,  on  the  basis  of  his  faith  in  Yaha- 
weh. Verses  9,  10  are  a  continuation  of  supplication  in  the 
same  vein.  For  in  Thee,  etc.  (9),  following  the  Greek  text, 
which  seems  more  correct.  Straight  path  (10),  a  correction 
of  the  text  (straight  land)   from  27".     Thy  good  spirit  (10), 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


483 


possibly  a  gloss  from  Neh.  9  ^^ ;  in  which  case  we  should  read : 
Lead  Thou  me,  etc.  Verses  11,  12,  the  customary  assurance 
of  favorable  answer.  This  Psalm  resembles  the  preceding 
in  its  use  of  Ps.  77,  as  also  in  its  free  use  of  the  phraseology 
of  the  Davidic  Psalter.  Cf .  3  and  7 ";  7  and  28  ^  8  and  32  \ 
25^  11  and  25";  12  and  54  ^  52  =*. 

It  is  the  last  of  the  seven  great  penitential  Psalms  of  the 
Christian  Church.  Verse  2  is  cited  in  general  terms  by  Saint 
Paul  in  Rom.  3  ^o  and  Gal.  2 1». 


CXLIV 

A  Psalm  of  David. 


BLESSED  be  the  Lord  my 
strength,  which  teacheth  my 
hands  to  war  and  my  fingers  to 
fight: 

2  My  goodness,  and  my  fortress ; 
my  high  tower,  and  my  deliverer; 
my  shield,  and  he  in  whom  I 
trust;  who  subdueth  my  people 
under  me. 

3  Lord,  what  is  man,  that  thou 
takest  knowledge  of  him!  or 
the  son  of  man,  that  thou  makest 
account  of  him  I 

4  Man  is  like  to  vanity:  his 
days  are  as  a  shadow  that  passeth 
away. 

5  Bow  thy  heavens,  O  Lord,  and 
come  down:  touch  the  mountains, 
and    they    shall    smoke. 

6  Cast  forth  lightning,  and 
scatter  them :  shoot  out  thine 
arrows,    and    destroy   them. 

7  Send  thine  hand  from  above; 
rid  me,  and  deliver  me  out  of 
great  waters,  from  the  hand  of 
strange   children; 

8  Whose  mouth  speaketh  vanity, 
and  their  right  hand  is  a  right 
hand  of  falsehood. 


1.  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  my  Rock, 
That    trainest    my    hands    for 

contest. 
My  fingers  for  battle ; 

2.  My    stronghold    and    my    fort- 

ress, 
My  tower  and  my  deliverer, 
My    shield    and    in    whom    I 

sought    shelter, 
Who  subdueth  my  people  un- 
der me. 

3.  Lord,  what  is  man  that  Thou 

knowest  him, 
The    son    of    man    that    Thou 
considerest  him? 

4.  Man  is   like  a  vapor, 

His      days      like      a      passing 
shadow. 

5.  Lord,  bow  Thine  heavens  and 

come   down, 
Touch  the  mountains  that  they 
smoke ; 

6.  Lighten  lightnings  and  scatter 

them. 
Send   Thine   arrows   and  con- 
found them. 

7.  Send    Thine    hands    from    on 

high, 
Draw  me  out  of  many  waters, 
From      the      hand      of      the 

foreigner, 

8.  Whose   mouth   hath    spoken    a 

lie, 
Whose   right   hand   is   a   right 
hand  of   falsehood. 


484 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


9  I  will  sing  a  new  song  unto 
thee,  O  God :  upon  a  psaltery  and 
an  instrument  of  ten  strings  will 
I    sing   praises   unto    thee. 

10  It  is  he  that  giveth  salvation 
unto  kings :  who  delivereth  David 
his  servant  from  the  hurtful  sword. 

11  Rid  me,  and  deliver  me  from 
the  hand  of  strange  children, 
whose  mouth  speaketh  vanity,  and 
their  right  hand  is  a  right  hand  of 
falsehood : 

12  That  our  sons  may  be  as 
plants  grown  up  in  their  youth; 
that  our  daughters  may  be  as 
corner  stones,  polished  after  the 
similitude  of  a  palace : 

13  That  our  garners  may  be  full, 
affording  all  manner  of  store ; 
that  our  sheep  may  bring  forth 
thousands  and  ten  thousands  in 
our    streets : 

14  That  our  oxen  may  be  strong 
to  labour;  that  there  be  no  break- 
ing in,  nor  going  out ;  that  there  be 
no  complaining  in  our  streets. 

15  Happy  is  that  people,  that  is 
in  such  a  case :  yea,  happy  is  that 
people,  whose  God  is  the  Lord. 


9.     (God)     A    new    song    I    sing 
unto   Thee, 
With    the   lute   of    ten    strings 
I  would  chant  unto  Thee, 

10.  Who    giveth    victory   to   kings. 
Who      rescueth      David      His 

servant     from     the     wicked 
sword. 

11.  Draw   me  out   and   rescue  me 
From      the      hand      of      the 

foreigner. 
Whose   (refrain). 

12.  Our    sons    like    plants    waxed 

great  in  their  youth. 
Our    daughters    comely,    gaily 
clad  in  their  homes. 

13.  Our  garners   full,   overflowing 

from    base    to    eave ; 
No   breakage,   no   leakage,   no 
turmoil. 

14.  Our    flocks    in    thousands,    in 

myriads  in  our  fields. 
Our  oxen  stalwart,  heavy  bur- 
dened in  our  streets. 

15.  Happy  the  people  to  whom  it 

is    thus, 
Happy  the  people  whose   God 
is  the  Lord. 


The  Lord  My  Rock 

This  Psalm  is  a  composite  of  two  separate  Psalms,  with  many 
additions;  and  the  text  of  the  second  part  particularly  has 
come  down  to  us  in  a  very  defective  state.  The  first  Psalm, 
1-11,  is  based  primarily  on  the  great  Davidic  Psalm  18  and  2 
Sam.  22.  Like  that  Psalm  it  commences  with  a  series  of 
honorific  titles  (1,  2).  These  verses  are  taken  from  the 
Davidic  Psalm,  but  not  all  from  one  part,  and  the  order  and 
connection  are  changed.  (1*  =  18*^;  1^  =  18";  2  is  from 
18  ••  3  and  2  Sam.  22  *«).  Stronghold  (2),  following  Ps.  18  \ 
Our  text  by  a  very  slight  change  has  love.  Whether  this  was 
a  mere  scribal  blunder  or  an  intentional  pious  change  is  un- 
certain; I  think  the  former.  My  shield,  etc.,  a  curiously  in- 
felicitous change  from  Ps.  18  ^  My  people;  in  the  Davidic 
Psalm,  2  Sam.  22  *^  peoples.  The  natural  sequence  of  this 
introduction   is   in  verses   5  ff,   but   there  has   been  inserted   a 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES  485 

passage  of  pious  reflection  suggested  by  the  honorific  titles, 
which  by  magnifying  the  greatness  of  God  emphasize  the  in- 
significance of  man  in  comparison.  This  passage  (3,  4)  con- 
sists of  a  memory  or  sense  quotation  of  8  ^,  and  an  adaptation 
of  39  ®'^  Vapor  (4),  or  vanity.  The  following  passage,  5-8, 
is  composed  of  different  portions  of  Ps.  18,  with  transpo- 
sitions and  substitutions  of  words,  and  a  refrain  (8)  which  re- 
minds one  of  the  preceding  snare  Psalms.  (For  5*  cf.  18"; 
but  5  "  is  104  3- ;  for  6,  18  " ;  for  7,  18  ^''  "•  ">  ") .  This  passage 
is  the  prayer  for  deliverance  from  hostile  foreigners.  Then 
comes  the  praise  song  for  deliverance,  9-11,  the  first  verse  of 
which  (9)  is  derived  from  33  -•  ^,  a  new  Psalm.  (God 
is  a  scribal  addition),  the  remainder  (10,  11)  from  18  (cf. 
for  10,  18'^;  all  the  words  of  11  are  from  B.  18,  but  not  all 
joined  together  as  here).  Victory  (10),  or  salvation,  Res- 
cueth,  Hebrew  draweth  out.  Wicked  sword,  for  sword  of  the 
wicked.  Verse  11  is  a  slight  variant  from  verse  7.  To  this 
stanza  was  attached  the  same  refrain  as  to  the  preceding  (8), 
which  is  represented  in  our  text,  however,  only  by  its  first 
word  whose.  This  Psalm,  eliminating  the  stanza  of  pious 
reflection,  was  a  song  of  triumph  over  enemies,  echoing  the 
great  Davidic  triumph  song. 

To  this  was  added,  suggested  by  the  thought  of  the  pros- 
perity of  the  Davidic  kingdom  as  a  result  of  David's  victories, 
an  old  song  (12-14)  picturing  the  ideal  state  of  peace.  This 
is  in  a  very  curious  folk  song  metre,  of  which  we  have  only 
one  other  specimen  in  Hebrew  literature,  Is.  3  ^^'"j  a  Jerusa- 
lem street  song  in  mockery  of  female  fashions,  which  Isaiah 
made  the  text  of  a  sermon  against  the  luxury  of  women. 
This  song  has  come  down  to  us,  as  stated,  in  somewhat 
defective  form,  but  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  metre  enables 
us,  with  the  help  of  the  Greek,  t©  restore  at  least  its  sense. 
Comely  (12),  from  the  Greek.  Gaily  clad,  the  same  phrase 
used  to  describe  the  dress  of  David's  daughter  Tamar  (2  Sam. 
13^®).  Their  homes,  by  a  very  slight  change  in  Hebrew  text 
to  comply  with  metrical  requirements.  Base  to  eave  (13),  a 
conjectural  sense  emendation.  In  the  Hebrew  text  the  close 
of  this  line  is  a  meaningless  conglomeration  of  letters.  No 
breakage,  etc.,  (13),  this  line,  or  the  fragments  of  this  line, 
appears  in  our  text  in  the  following  verse  in  the  words  no 
breach,  no  going  forth,  no  turmoil.  The  meaning  of  this  is 
very  vivid  as  I  write  in  Jerusalem,  where  we  have  just  lived 


486 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


through  a  period  of  looting  and  breakage  and  turmoil.  Stalwart 
(14);  word  lacking  in  Hebrew  text.  Supplied  from  the 
Greek. 

Finally  the  Psalm  thus  composed  was  provided  with  a 
blessing  or  praise  chorus  (15)  of  the  familiar  happy  he  type. 
I  have  analyzed  this  Psalm  thus  in  detail  not  merely  for  its 
own  intrinsic  interest,  but  because  it  is  one  in  which  we  can 
follow  the  process  of  composition  step  by  step,  and  is  hence 
peculiarly  illuminating  for  Psalm  study.  It  represents  a 
process  and  a  method  which  go  back  beyond  Hebrew  psalm- 
ody, connecting  that  with  the  still  more  ancient  psalmody 
on  which  it  bases. 

This  Psalm  was  used  as  his  text  by  Saint  Bernard  in 
preaching  the  Crusades.  It  was  also  sung  on  the  British  ships 
fighting  under  apparent  odds  against  the   Spanish  Armada. 

THE  TEHILLAH 
CXLV 

David's  Psalm  of  praise. 


T  WILL  extol  thee,  my  God,  O 
A  King;  and  I  will  bless  thy 
name   for  ever  and   ever. 

2  Every  day  will  I  bless  thee; 
and  I  will  praise  thy  name  for 
ever  and   ever. 

3  Great  is  the  Lord,  and  greatly 
to  be  praised;  and  his  greatness  is 
unsearchable. 

4  One  generation  shall  praise  thy 
works  to  another,  and  shall  declare 
thy   mighty   acts. 

5  I  will  speak  of  the  glorious 
honour  of  thy  majesty,  and  of  thy 
wondrous  works. 

6  And  men  shall  speak  ot  the 
might  of  thy  terrible  acts :  and  I 
will  declare  thy  greatness. 

7  They  shall  abundantly  utter  the 
memory  of  thy  great  goodness,  and 
shall    sing   of    thy    righteousness. 

8  The  Lord  is  gracious,  and  full 
of  compassion ;  slow  to  anger,  and 
of  great  mercy. 


1.  Alef.     I  extol  Thee,  my  God, 

0  King, 

And  bless  Thy  name  for  ever 
and  aye, 

2.  Beth.    All  day  I  bless  Thee, 
And    praise    Thy    Name    for 

ever   and    aye. 

3.  Gimel.    Great  is  the  Lord  and 

much  to  be  praised ; 
And     His     greatness     is     un- 
searchable. 

4.  Daleth.    Age  to  age  shall  laud 

Thy  deeds. 
And    declare    Thine    acts    of 
prowess. 

5.  He.     The  glorious  majesty  of 

Thine  honor. 
And  the  story  of  Thy  wonders 

1  will  sing; 

6.  Wau.     And    of    Thine    awful 

might    I    will    tell. 
And  recount  Thy  greatness. 

7.  Zayin.     The  memorial  of  Thy 

great    goodness     shall    they 
pour  forth. 
And    Thy    righteousness    shall 
they  shout  aloud. 

8.  Heth.     Gracious  and  merciful 

is  the  Lord, 
Slow   to   anger   and   great   of 
love. 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


487 


9  The  Lord  is  good  to  all:  and 
his  tender  mercies  are  over  all  his 
works. 

10  All  thy  works  shall  praise 
thee,  O  Lord;  and  thy  saints  shall 
bless   thee. 

11  They  shall  speak  of  the  glory 
of  thy  kingdom,  and  talk  of  thy 
power. 

12  To  make  known  to  the  sons 
of  men  his  mighty  acts,  and  the 
glorious    majesty   of    his    kingdom. 

13  Thy  kingdom  is  an  everlast- 
ing kingdom,  and  thy  dominion 
endureth  throughout  all  genera- 
tions. 

14  The  Lord  upholdeth  all  that 
fall,  and  raiseth  up  all  those  that 
be  bowed  down. 

15  The  eyes  of  all  wait  upon 
thee ;  and  thou  givest  them  their 
meat  in  due  season. 

16  Thou  openest  thine  hand,  and 
satisfiest  the  desire  of  every  living 
thing. 

17  The  Lord  is  righteous  in  all 
his  ways,  and  holy  in  all  his  works. 

18  The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  all 
them  that  call  upon  him,  to  all 
that    call    upon    him    in    truth. 

19  He  will  fulfil  the  desire  of 
them  that  fear  him :  he  also  will 
hear  their  cry,  and  will  save  them. 

20  The  Lord  preserveth  all  them 
that  love  him :  but  all  the  wicked 
will  he   destroy. 

21  My  mouth  shall  speak  the 
praise  of  the  Lord  :  and  let  all 
flesh  bless  his  holy  name  for  ever 
and  ever. 


9.     Teth.    Good  is  the  Lord  to  all, 
And  His  mercies  over  all  His 
works. 

10.  Yodh.     Give   thanks   to   Thee, 
Lord,  all  Thy  works. 

And  Thy  saints  do  bless  Thee; 

11.  Kaf.     The  glory  of  Thy  king- 
dom they  tell. 

And    Thy    deeds    of    prowess 
they  utter; 

12.  Lamedh.     To  make  known  to 
the  sons  of  men  His  prowess, 

And    the   glorious    majesty   of 
His  kingdom ; 

13.  Mim.    Thy  kingdom  a  kingdom 
for  all  time, 

And  Thy  dominion  for  all  gen- 
erations. 

14.  Nun.     The  Lord  is  true  in  all 
His  words. 

And  loving  in  all  His  deeds. 

15.  Samekh.    The  Lord  supporteth 
all  that  fall, 

And  upholdeth  them  that  are 
bowed  down. 

16.  Ain.    The  eyes  of  all  wait  upon 
Thee, 

And   Thou   gavest   them  their 
food  in  its  season; 

17.  Pe.    Opening  Thine  hand. 
And  satisfying  the  desire  of  all 

creatures. 

18.  Zadhe.     Righteous  is  the  Lord 
in  all  His  ways, 

And  loving  in  all  His  works. 

19.  Qof.     The  Lord  is  nigh  to  all 
that  call  Him, 

Unto  all  that  call  Him  faithfully. 

20.  Resh.    The  desire  of  them  that 
fear  Him  He  doeth ; 

And  their  cry  He  heareth  and 
saveth  them. 

21.  Shin,     The    Lord   keepeth   all 
that  love  Him, 

But    all    the    godless    He    de- 
stroyeth. 

22.  Tau.     The  praise  of  the  Lord 
my  mouth  shall  speak ; 

And   all    flesh   bless    His    holy 

name; 
For  ever  and  aye. 

The  Introduction  or  Key  Psalm 

The  title  Tehillah  or  Praise  Song  of  David  belongs  not  to 
this  Psalm  but  to  the  whole  collection,  145-150.     The  following 


488 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


five  Psalms  constitute  a  hallel  liturgy  for  use  at  the  morning 
sacrifice,  to  which  this  Psalm  was  prefixed  as  an  introduction. 
It  is  an  alphabetic  acrostic  of  the  simplest  form,  the  first  line 
of  each  verse  commencing  with  a  letter  of  the  alphabet.  It  is 
composed  of  old  Psalm  phrases,  relatively  few  verses,  however, 
being  direct  quotations  from  older  Psalms.  3  uses  8^  or 
96*;  5,  119",  and  16-17,  104  "•==«.  8  uses  the  old  familiar 
words  of  Ex.  34  ^,  used  also  in  86  ^^,  and  103  ^,  but  in  the 
later  revised  order  which  appears  in  111*,  112*,  2  Chr.  30', 
Neh.  9  ^'''  ^\  Joel  2  ^^,  and  Jn.  4 ".  There  has  been  some  care- 
lessness both  in  the  composition  of  the  Psalm  and  the  trans- 
mission of  its  text.  The  persons  are  confused  in  verses  5 
and  6.  Glorious  majesty  appears  in  one  order  of  the  words 
in  5  and  another  in  12.  Verses  14  and  18  are  almost  identical, 
and  the  former  is  omitted  in  the  Hebrew  text.  /  (5),  in  the 
text  they.  If  the  latter  is  correct  then  probably  in  the  fol- 
lowing verse  /  will  tell  should  be  changed  to  they  will  tell. 
Sing,  literally  meditate  in  song.  Verse  11  is  cited  in  Aramaic 
translation  in  Dan.  3  ^^,  4  ^^,  evidence,  if  any  were  needed, 
that  this  praise  song,  and  with  it  the  completed  Psalter,  was 
in  existence  at  the  time  of  composition  of  that  book,  165 
B.  C 


CXLVI 


PRAISE   ye   the   Lord.      Praise 
the  Lord,  O  my  soul. 

2  While  I  live  will  I  praise  the 
Lord  :  I  will  sing  praises  unto  my 
God   while    I    have    any   being. 

3  Put  not  your  trust  in  princes, 
nor  in  the  son  of  man,  in  whom 
there  is  no  help. 

4  His  breath  goeth  forth,  he  re- 
turneth  to  his  earth:  in  that  very 
day  his  thoughts  perish. 

5  Happy  is  he  that  hath  the  God 
of  Jacob  for  his  help,  whose  hope 
is  in  the  Lord  his  God : 

6  Which  made  heaven,  and  earth, 
the  sea,  and  all  that  therein  is: 
which  keepeth  truth  for  ever: 


1. 

2. 


3. 


6. 


Hallelu-Yah. 

Praise  the  Lord,  O   my   soul; 
While    I    live    would    I    praise 

the  Lord, 
While    I    exist    would    I    sing 

unto    God. 
Trust  not  in  princes, 
Sons  of  man,  in  whom  is  no 

help. 
His    breath    goeth     forth,    he 

returneth  to  his  earth. 
That    very    day    his    thoughts 

have  perished. 
Happy     he     whose     help     is 

Jacob's  God, 
His  hope   is   on  the   Lord  his 

God; 
That  made  heaven  and  earth. 
The   sea   and   all   that   therein 

is, 
That  keepeth  truth  for  ever, 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


489 


7  Which  executeth  judgment  for 
the  oppressed :  which  giveth  food 
to  the  hungry.  The  Lord  looseth 
the  prisoners : 

8  The  Lord  openeth  the  eyes  of 
the  blind :  the  Lord  raiseth  them 
that  are  bowed  down :  the  Lord 
loveth   the   righteous : 

9  The  Lord  preserveth  the 
strangers;  he  relieveth  the  father- 
less and  widow :  but  the  way  of 
the  wicked  he  turneth  upside  down. 

10  The  Lord  shall  reign  for  ever, 
even  thy  God,  O  Zion,  unto  all 
generations.     Praise  ye  the  Lord. 


7.  That    dealeth    to    the    down- 

trodden justice, 
That    giveth    to    the    hungry 

bread. 
The    Lord    looseth    prisoners, 

8.  The    Lord    openeth    the    blind, 
The  Lord  upholdeth  the  bound 

down. 
The    Lord    loveth    the    right- 
eous, 

9.  The     Lord     preserveth     pros- 

elytes. 

The  fatherless  and  widow  He 
supporteth. 

But     the     way     of     the     god- 
less  He   subverteth. 
10.    The  Lord  shall  reign  for  ever. 

Thy     God,     O     Zion,     to     all 
generations. 

Hallelu-Yah! 


First  Praise  Song 

This  Psalm  is  largely  composed  of  Scripture  citations,  but 
so  beautifully  combined  and  arranged  as  to  constitute  a  real 
contribution  to  psalmody.  Verse  1  is  103^,  104^;  2,  104"'; 
3,  118  «'^  for  4  cf.  104  2«  and  Gen.  3^»;  6,  Ex.  20";  7,  103 «, 
105  20;  9,  Dt.  10^8;  10,  Ex.  15  ^«.  Verses  6-9*  express  the 
qualities  and  acts  of  Yahaweh  in  a  decalogue  of  two  pentads, 
(1  =:  6,  7"'";  2  =  7"=,  8,  9*),  a  form  suggested  by  the  quota- 
tion in  6  *  ''  from  the  great  Decalogue.  Proselytes  (9),  or 
strangers.  From  its  position  here  between  the  righteous  Israel- 
ites and  the  godless  heathen  the  word  is  to  be  translated  in 
its  late  sense,  proselytes,  as  in  the  Greek.  F  ^  is  used  in  145  ^' 
that  Psalm  being  later  than  this.  Verse  4  is  cited  in  1  Mac. 
2  ^^,  evidence  of  the  ritual  use  of  this  liturgy  in  the  Maccabean 
period.     Verse  5  is  cited  in  Acts  4'*. 


CXLVII 


PRAISE  ye  the  Lord:  for  it  is 
good  to  sing  praises  unto 
our  God;  for  it  is  pleasant;  and 
praise  is  comely. 

2  The  Lord  doth  build  up 
Jerusalem:  he  gathereth  together 
the  outcasts  of  Israel. 

3  He  healeth  the  broken  in 
heart,  and  bindeth  up  their  wounds. 


Hallelu-Yah ! 

1.  For  good  is   the  psalmody  of 

God, 
For     lovely,     seemly     is     the 
praise  song. 

2.  The  Lord  buildeth  Jerusalem, 
The    outcasts     of     Israel     He 

gathereth ; 

3.  He  that  healeth  the  broken  of 

heart. 
And  bindeth  up  their  wounds; 


490 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


4  He  telleth  the  number  of  the 
stars;  he  calleth  them  all  by  their 
names. 

5  Great  is  our  Lord,  and  of 
great  power:  his  understanding  is 
infinite. 

6  The  Lord  lifteth  up  the  meek: 
he  casteth  the  wicked  down  to  the 
ground. 

7  Sin^  unto  the  Lord  with 
thanksgiving;  sing  praise  upon  the 
harp  unto  our  God : 

8  Who  covereth  the  heaven  with 
clouds,  who  prepareth  rain  for 
the  earth,  who  maketh  grass  to 
grow   upon   the   mountains. 

9  He  giveth  to  the  beast  his 
food,  and  to  the  young  ravens 
which   cry, 

10  He  delighteth  not  in  the 
strength  of  the  horse:  he  taketh 
not  pleasure  in  the  legs  of  a  man. 

11  The  Lord  taketh  pleasure  in 
them  that  fear  him,  in  those  that 
hope    in    his    mercy. 

12  Praise  the  Lord,  O  Jerusalem ; 
praise    thy    God,    O    Zion. 

13  For  he  hath  strengthened  the 
bars  of  thy  gates;  he  hath  blessed 
thy  children  within  thee. 

14  He  maketh  peace  in  thy 
borders,  and  filleth  thee  with  the 
finest  of  the  wheat. 

15  He  sendeth  forth  his  com- 
mandment upon  earth:  his  word 
runneth   very   swiftly. 

16  He  giveth  snow  like  wool: 
he  scattereth  the  hoar  frost  like 
ashes. 

17  He  casteth  forth  his  ice  like 
morsels:  who  can  stand  before  his 
cold? 

18  He  sendeth  out  his  word,  and 
melteth  them :  he  causeth  his  wind 
to  blow,  and  the  waters  flow. 


4.  That  telleth  the  number  of  the 

stars. 
To    all    of    them    He    calleth 
names. 

5.  Great  is  our  Lord,  and  mighty 

in  strength, 
To    His    wisdom    there    is    no 
count ; 

6.  The  Lord  restoreth  the  meek, 
He  casteth  the  godless  to  the 

ground. 

7.  Sing  to  the  Lord  with  thanks- 

giving. 
Chant  to  our  God  on  the  harp ; 

8.  That     covereth     heaven     with 

clouds. 
That   prepareth    for   the   earth 

rain; 
That  maketh  hills  green  with 

grass. 
Herb  for  the  service  of  man, 

9.  That    giveth    the    cattle    their 

food. 
The  sons  of  the  raven  which 
cry. 

10.  Not    in    the    strength    of    the 

horse  is  His  pleasure, 
Not  in  the  legs  of  a  man  His 
delight. 

11.  The   Lord   delighteth   in   them 

that  fear  Him, 
In  them  that  wait  on  His  love. 

12.  Laud,  O  Jerusalem,  the  Lord, 
Praise  thy  God,  O  Zion. 

13.  For  He  strengthened  the  bars 

of  thy  gates, 
He    blessed    thy    sons    within 
thee; 

14.  That    maketh    in    thy    borders 

peace — 
With  finest  of  wheat  He  filleth 

thee; 
15     That    sendeth    His    saying    to 

earth — 
Very      swiftly      runneth      His 

word , 

16.  That  giveth  snow  like  wool — 
Frost  like  ashes  He  scattereth; 

17.  That  casteth  forth  His  ice  like 

crumbs — 
Before  His  cold  who  standeth? 

18.  He     sendeth     His     word     and 

melteth  them, 
He  bloweth  his  breath,  waters 
flow; 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


491 


19  He  sheweth  his  word  unto 
Jacob,  his  statutes  and  his  judg- 
ments  unto  Israel. 

20  He  hath  not  dealt  so  with 
any  nation:  and  as  for  his  judg- 
ments, they  have  not  known  them. 
Praise  ye  the  Lord. 


19.  That    declareth    His    word    to 

Jacob, 
His  statutes  and  judgments  to 
Israel. 

20.  He    dealt    not    thus    with    any 

nation. 
And     judgments — they     know 

them  not. 
Hallelu-Yah. 


Second  Praise  Song 

This  Psalm  is  divided  into  two  main  parts,  1-11,  12-20, 
which  are  counted  separate  Psalms  in  the  Greek.  Each  com- 
mences with  a  summons  to  praise  God  for  building  Jerusalem, 
passes  into  a  hymn  of  creation,  and  ends  with  praise  to  God 
for  His  special  providence  toward  Israel ;  and  the  first  part 
is  again  divided  into  stanzas  1-6,  7-11,  formed  on  the  same 
plan.  This  Psalm  is  dependent  in  the  first  stanza  on  Deutero- 
Isaiah  (Cf.  2"  and  Is.  56  « :  3  and  6n ;  4''  and  40  2«;  5  »>  and 
40").  In  the  second  stanza  8  <=  uses  104 1*;  9,  Job  38";  10 
and  11,  33^'^''^^.  In  the  third  stanza  verses  19,  20  are  taken 
from  Dt.  4,  7,  8.  In  the  eighth  verse  the  Hebrew  omits  the  last 
line,  which  is  retained  in  the  Greek  (cf.  104^*).  Meek  (6), 
i.  e.,  Israel,  in  contrast  with  the  godless  heathen  (cf.  vv.  11, 
19  and  20). 

The  18th  verse  of  this  Psalm  was  the  motto  used  on  the 
coins  of  Elizabeth  celebrating  the  victory  over  the  Armada. 
This  Psalm  is  cited  in  Ecclesiasticus  (Hebrew  text),  evidence 
that  this  collection  of  Psalms  was  in  use  in  the  Temple  in 
Sirach's  time,  somewhere  from  280  to  180  B.  C.,  and  that  the 
Psalter  was  then  a  complete  whole. 


CXLVIII 


PRAISE  ye  the  Lord  from  the 
heavens ;     praise     him     in     the 
heights. 

2  Praise  ye  him,  all  his  angels ; 
praise  ye  him,  all  his  hosts. 

3  Praise  ye  him,  sun  and  moon ; 
praise  him,  all  ye  stars  of  light. 

4  Praise  him,  ye  heavens  of 
heavens,  and  ye  waters  that  be  above 
the  heavens. 


1. 


4. 


Hallelu-Yah  I 

Praise  the  Lord  from  heaven, 
Praise  Him  in  the  heights. 
Praise  Him,  all  His  angels. 
Praise  Him,  all  His  host. 
Praise  Him,  sun  and  moon, 
Praise    Him,    all    ye    stars 
light. 


heaven 


of 
of 


Praise        Him, 

heavens, 
And  ye  waters  that  are  above 

the  heavens. 


492 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


5  Let  them  praise  the  name  of 
the  Lord  :  for  he  commanded,  and 
they  were  created. 

6  He  hath  also  stablished  them 
for  ever  and  ever:  he  hath  made  a 
decree  v/hich  shall  not  pass. 

7  Praise  the  Lord. from  the  earth, 
ye  dragons,  and  all  deeps : 

8  Fire,  and  hail ;  snow,  and 
vapour;  stormy  wind  fulfilling  his 
word : 

9  Mountains,  and  all  hills ;  fruit- 
ful trees,  and  all  cedars : 

10  Beasts,  and  all  cattle;  creeping 
things,  and  flying  fowl : 

11  Kings  of  the  earth,  and  all 
people;  princes,  and  all  judges  of 
the  earth : 

12  Both  young  men,  and  maidens ; 
old  men,  and  children : 

13  Let  them  praise  the  name  of 
the  Lord:  for  his  name  alone  is 
excellent ;  his  glory  is  above  the 
earth  and  heaven. 

14  He  also  exalteth  the  horn  of 
his  people,  the  praise  of  all  his 
saints ;  even  of  the  children  of 
Israel,  a  people  near  unto  him. 
Praise  ye  the  Lord. 


5.  Let  them  praise  the  name  of 

the  Lord., 
For  He  commanded,  and  they 
were  created ; 

6.  And   He  established  them   for 

ever  and  aye, 
A    statute    He   gave   that    may 
not  be  transgressed. 

7.  Praise  the  Lord  from  earth, 
Dragons    and    all    deeps, 

8.  Fire  and  hail,  snow  and  mist, 
Storm      wind,     fulfilling     His 

word ; 

9.  Ye  mountains  and  all  hills, 
Fruit-trees  and  all  cedars; 

10.  Ye  wild  beasts  and  all  cattle, 
Reptiles  and  flying  fowl ; 

11.  Kings  of  earth  and  all  peoples, 
Princes  and  all  rulers  of  earth; 

12.  Both  young  men  and  maidens, 
Old  men  with  children, 

13.  Let  them  praise  the  name  of  the 

Lord, 
For  exalted  is  His  name  alone. 
His  thank  song  above  heaven 

and  earth ; 

14.  Who  exalted  the  horn  of  His 

people — 
The  praise  of  all  His  saints — 
Of   the  children  of  Israel,  the 

people  nigh  unto  Him. 
Hallelu-Yah ! 


Third  Praise  Song 

A  praise  for  all  created  things,  beginning  from  heaven  above, 
based  on  the  fact  of  God's  creative  fiat  and  His  immutable 
command,  1-6.  Cf.  for  this  stanza  33  «■  ^  Gen.  1,  Dt.  10  ^S 
Jer.  31  ^^  ff,  Job  38  "  It  is  the  familiar  Hebrew  conception 
of  infinite  hosts  in  heaven,  and  of  heaven  rising  above  heaven, 
bounded  by  the  great  water  mass  above.  The  second  stanza, 
7-14,  similarly  summons  earth  to  praise,  from  the  great  mon- 
sters hidden  in  the  watery  abyss  beneath  (Gen.  1"),  through 
God's  agents  of  storm  forces,  to  the  creatures  of  earth,  cul- 
tivated and  forest  trees,  tame  things  and  wild,  to  the  peo- 
ples of  earth,  high  and  low,  young  and  old;  because  His  name 
is  exalted,  as  shown  in  His  favor  to  Israel,  whose  praise  and 
thank  songs  find  approach  to  His  throne.  Compare  the  similar 
Persian  conception  (Yasna  L)  :  "With  these  Yasnas  of  sacrifice 
would  I  approach  you." 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


493 


CXLIX 


p  RAISE  ye  the  Lord.  Sing  unto 
•*■  the  Lord  a  new  song,  and  his 
praise  in  the  congregation  of  saints, 

2  Let  Israel  rejoice  in  him  that 
made  him :  let  the  children  of  Zion 
be  joyful  in  their  King. 

3  Let  them  praise  his  name  in  the 
dance :  let  them  sing  praises  unto 
him  with  the  timbrel  and  harp. 

4  For  the  Lord  taketh  pleasure  in 
his  people :  he  will  beautify  the  meek 
with  salvation. 

5  Let  the  saints  be  joyful  in 
glory :  let  them  sing  aloud  upon 
their  beds. 

6  Let  the  high  praises  of  God  be 
in  their  mouth,  and  a  twoedged 
sword  in  their  hand ; 

7  To  execute  vengeance  upon 
the  heathen,  and  punishments  upon 
the  people : 

8  To  bind  their  kings  with 
chains,  and  their  nobles  with  fet- 
ters of  iron ; 

9  To  execute  upon  them  the 
judgment  written  :  this  honour  have 
all  his  saints.     Praise  ye  the  Lord. 

Hallelu-Yah  I 


1. 


3. 


4. 


7. 


9. 


Sing  to  the  Lord  a  new  song, 

His  praise  in  the  assembly  of 
saints. 

Let  Israel  rejoice  in  his  Maker, 

The  sons  of  Zion  exult  in  their 
king. 

Let  them  praise  His  name  in 
the  dance, 

With  timbrel  and  harp  chant 
psalms  to  Him. 

For  the  Lord  hath  pleasure  in 
His  people. 

He  adorneth  the  meek  with 
salvation. 

Let  the  saints  triumph  in  glory, 

Shout  aloud  on  their  bed; 

High  praises  of  God  in  their 
throat, 

And  a  two-edged  sword  in 
their  hand. 

To  work  vengeance  on  the  na- 
tions. 

Punishments  on  the  peoples ; 

To  bind  their  kings  with  chains, 

And  their  nobles  with  fetters 
of  iron ; 

To  work  upon  them  the  judg- 
ment  written — 

This  honor  have  all  His  saints. 

Hallelu-Yah. 


Fourth  Praise  So7ig 

A  companion  piece  and  sequence  to  the  preceding.  It  is  a 
Psalm  of  triumph  for  Israel,  of  hate  and  vengeance  on  his 
foes.  Casper  Sciopius  used  it  in  his  Clarion  of  the  Sacred 
War  to  influence  the  Roman  Catholic  princes  to  the  Thirty 
Years  War.  Similarly  Thomas  Miinzer  used  it  in  Protestant 
circles  to  fan  the  flame  of  the  War  of  the  Peasants.  Like 
the  other  Psalms  of  this  group  it  uses  freely  both  older 
Psalms  and  other  Scriptures.  A  new  song  (1),  cf.  33',  96  \ 
98  ^  Is.  42".  Assembly  of  saints,  i.  e.,  pious  Israelites,  cf. 
95'.  Dance  (3),  as  always  in  such  processional  liturgies,  cf. 
Ex.  1520,  2  Sam.  6".  Verse  4,  cf.  147  ^\  Salvation,  i.  e., 
victory.  Verse  5,  132",  42 «,  Job  35".  The  references  in  the 
Psalter  to  singing  at  night  are  frequent.  This  Psalm  was 
sung  among  the  dwellings,  where  men  slept,  on  the  road  to  the 
Temple.     Verse  6,  cf.  Neh.  4^^  2  Mac.   15^^;  8,  9,  cf.   such 


494 


THE  PSALMS  AS  LITURGIES 


passages  as  Dt,  32  *°-**,  Ez.  38,  39,  Zech.  14.  Sword,  presuma- 
bly accompanied  by  brandishing  of  swords,  as  in  the  Nebi 
Musa  procession  and  dances  in  Jerusalem  today.  The  accom- 
panying acts  suggested  in  the  words  of  this  Psalm,  and  its 
fanatical  excitement  to  action  against  the  unbelievers,  remind 
one  most  forcefully  of  the  uses  and  practices  of  Jerusalem 
today,  as  in  the  Nebi  Musa  celebration  of  the  Moslems,  the 
Holy  Fire  service  of  the  Christians,  and  the  Passover  of  the 
Jews. 


CL 


PRAISE   ye    the    Lord.       Praise 
God    in    his    sanctuary :    praise 
him  in  the  firmament  of  his  power. 

2  Praise  him  for  his  mighty  acts : 
praise  him  according  to  his  excel- 
lent greatness. 

3  Praise  him  with  the  sound  of 
the  trumpet :  praise  him  with  the 
psaltery  and  harp. 

4  Praise  him  with  the  timbrel  and 
dance :  praise  him  with  stringed  in- 
struments and  organs. 

5  Praise  him  upon  the  loud  cym- 
bals :  praise  him  upon  the  high 
sounding  cymbals. 

6  Let  every  thing  that  hath  breath 
praise    the    Lord.      Praise    ye    the 

Lord. 


1.  Hallelu-Yahl 

Praise    God   in   His    sanctuary, 
Praise   Him   in   the   firmament 
of  His  power; 

2.  Praise    Him   in    His    deeds    of 
•  prowess, 

Praise    Him    after    His    excel- 
lent greatness ; 

3.  Praise  Him  with  trumpet  blast, 
Praise  Him  with  lute  and  harp; 

4.  Praise   Him   with   timbrel  and 

dance, 
Praise    Him    with   strings   and 
pipe; 

5.  Praise  Him  with  clanging  cym- 

bals, 
Praise    Him    with    deep-toned 
cymbals. 

6.  Let  all  that  hath  breath  praise 

Yah. 
Hallelu-Yah ! 


Fifth  and  Final  Praise  Song 

This  is  the  final,  culminating  praise  cry,  to  be  sung  at  the 
Sanctuary  (1),  when  the  procession  has  entered  the  Temple 
courts,  before  or  along  with  the  sacrifice,  accompanied  by  the 
full  choir  of  instruments.  Clanging  cymbals,  deep  toned  cym- 
bals (5)  ;  literally  cymbals  of  proclamation,  cymbals  of  the  zvar 
shout  or  blast.  Precisely  how  these  differ  is  not  known.  We 
have  here  the  same  names  for  instruments  used  from  the 
earliest  times  (cf.  Introduction),  strikingly  different  from 
the  names  used  in  Daniel,  which  is  incidentally  an  evidence 
against  the  possibility  of  Maccabean  Psalms  in  the  Psalter,  or  of 
any  radical  revision  of  the  Psalms  in  the  Maccabean  time. 


THE  END 


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BS1430.P482 

The  Psalms  as  liturgies;  being  the 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00117  0473 


